


Demons

by TheAnonymoux



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Eggman is crazy, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Long Stories, M/M, Minor Character Death, Smut, Sonic and Shadow are lovestruck idiots, Sonic's Past, Tails is a badass, Violence, dark themes, if you wanna read something emotional this is it, protective tails, topics of depression/angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2020-11-25 15:42:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 67,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20914532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAnonymoux/pseuds/TheAnonymoux
Summary: The brightest heroes can have the darkest secrets.When Eggman finally snaps and Sonic is injured, it’s the final straw for all of them. Now Tails, Shadow, Knuckles, and the rest of their friends must step up and protect the fallen hero, even if it means revealing things that were meant to stay hidden. What if Eggman really isn’t the villain? What if it was someone else all along? What if it’s more than just a mad scientist against a blue hedgehog?Everyone must face their demons at some point.





	1. Chapter 1

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**Warnings -**

This story is Rated M for dark themes, such as torture, gore, and violence. If you are sensitive to these themes, avoid reading. We are not responsible if you do end up reading despite our warnings. Complaints will be ignored, because we will assume you did not read this warning. Thank you.

**Notes -**

To those of you who remember the story, DO NOT SPOIL IT in the comments section for the people who haven't read it yet. There are going to be things that go a little differently this time, that includes the ending. Do not ruin it for each other.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

* * *

**Demons**

**Part One **

**Written by Anonymoux-Sonic**

**Beta'd by Shadow**

**Prologue**

_Gold flickers off of his pelt, dissipating in the black of space around him. There's areas where blue can be seen underneath the bright yellow, a warning sign of near fatigue. His super form didn't have much time left, it seemed. Looking over at the other golden hedgehog floating next to him, he could see that the normally black furred male was in no better state than he. They meet eyes, studying each other carefully. He wonders if the other can tell that he's up to something. Maybe he's thinking the same thing about him?_

_The sound of an explosion in front of them brings their attention to the giant blue orb floating in front of them. It was cracking apart from the force of the hit only seconds before, and it wouldn't be long before it burst across the universe._

_He takes in a deep breath, knowing he only had one shot at this._

_Looking over at the other hedgehog, he nods, and the two both get ready, energy forming in their hands. He's watching him in the corner of his eye, waiting for him to say it._

"_Chaos-!"_

_He never finishes._

_There's a flash of gold and an array of sparks as he flies forward and crashes into the other hedgehog. He meets those ruby red eyes, filled with shock and pure surprise, and can't help the sad smile that pulls up on his lips._

"_I'm sorry, Shadow."_

_He drains the other of his energy and sends him away with a whisper of Chaos Control, before turning in the air and shooting himself at the planet of blue. The cracks were growing, white light seeping out and blinding everything and everyone around, but he tells himself he still has time as he heads right for the pink tree at its top._

'_I can still save you, Cosmo!'_

_He's never been this determined. He tells himself that failure is not an option. He won't let this happen again!_

"_Don't, Sonic."_

_His body is suddenly halted, and he's stuck, unable to move. With wide eyes he looks up to see the girl herself, floating towards him with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face._

"_Cosmo, I can-" he tries, but she shakes her head, reaching up to lay a hand on his chest._

"_It's okay, Sonic," she says softly. "I understand, and he'll understand, too."_

"_...b-but, that's-!" he tries again, only to yet again be cut off as she puts a hand over his mouth._

"_It's okay, Sonic," she smiles sweetly. "I know who you are. I know what you're trying to do. Tails won't hate you for this, I promise."_

_What? How did she…?_

_She takes his right hand and puts the tiny seed in his palm, closing his fingers over it._

_No…_

"_I had a vision," she says, her voice almost a whisper. "It was a long time ago, before I knew of the Metarex." She looks up, meeting his shaking red eyes. "It was of you, and then this… That's how I knew where to find you. I knew what you would do."_

"_Why…?" is all he can get out. She giggles, her head tilting slightly to one side as she beams at him._

"_Everything happens for a reason, right? Please don't feel bad. You were only meant to save one of us," she leans forward and hugs him, pulling away before he can question her further._

"_Go back to Tails," she says as she floats backwards. "He needs you."_

"_W-Wait! Cosmo-!"_

_A flash of white consumes his vision, and suddenly he's falling onto solid, cold metal. His super form vanishes from his body, his cobalt quills falling down in a mess and his eyes turning back to their brilliant shade of green. He looks up, his body freezing as he watches the blue orb turn completely white, and then vanish altogether._

_Then, silence._

_There's nothing in front of them where the moon-sized planet egg had been. The nearest star is barely strong enough to light up the ships and their occupants, casting long, dark shadows over them._

_He feels like he can't move. He's not even sure if he's breathing._

_He failed._

_His ears barely register the faint sound of metal tapping against metal with the footfalls of another person behind him. A hand rests on his shoulder, before the owner's arm settles across his back. He looks over to see Shadow kneeling in a crouch next to him, holding onto him for support. He looks slightly shocked, still, but there's silent understanding in his red eyes that only comforts him slightly._

_He hates that he's relieved he at least saved Shadow._

_He was supposed to save them both._

"_Sonic?"_

_Both hedgehogs turn to see a yellow fox, standing a few feet back, looking as if he had seen a ghost._

_He feels sick, suddenly, at having to face him after failing so miserably. He can already hear the words he knows the fox is going to say. He can already feel the pain of watching his little brother fall apart in his arms._

_Things go a little differently this time, however, because with the shock and stress of everything, he ends up just blacking out._

* * *

**Chapter One -**

_Seven Months Later…_

Mobotropolis -

The deep hum of the X Tornado whizzed by just above the mobians' heads, trying to shoot off the missiles that had sailed awry from the battle looming above. The civilians screamed and ducked their heads, before they were rushed quickly away by a certain pink hedgehog with a hammer.

"Move it, hurry!" Amy orders, pushing the mobians away as fast as she could. She takes a glance back, upwards, just in time to watch an all too familiar streak of blue smash into the side of the Death Egg Robot. She frowns, worriedly, as she watches that blue streak end abruptly, the hedgehog within tumbling back down to the ground, his attack doing nothing on the giant mech. She holds up her wrist communicator, calling out loudly so her teammates could hear her. "I know this is a _Death Egg Robot_," she starts hesitantly, "but that shot should have done something, right?"

A certain fox barely moves his plane in time to avoid a large, swinging arm. A loud crash of glass and debris exploded as the arm collided with the side of a building, and the golden kit could only pray everyone had been evacuated already. "I'm not sure," he answers. "I'm trying to scan it, but it's kind of hard when I have to avoid blowing up."

"We'll cover you," Knuckles is heard from his own communicator. He lowers his arm and looks over to the black and red hedgehog not too far away, while Sonic lets out a huff, barely dodging the stomping legs of the robot.

"Get to it then, guys!" the blue hero calls, glaring at the two older males who didn't seem to be helping by much. Shadow scoffs and disappears in a flash of gold, while the echidna grumbles something under his breath, jumping up to get on top of a nearby bus. Sonic turns, getting ready to run under the robot when he had the chance, while Shadow appeared on top of the robot's head and began slicing it with Chaos Spears. Knuckles jumped from the bus to the swinging arm, landing right on it to start tearing it apart with his claws. Sonic gets his chance and dashes passed the hulking metal beast, before running up a building on the other side of it. He runs up the building with a resonating boom, all the way to the top, where he kicks off of it, twisting his body backwards in the air, flipping just enough to land in a crouch on the robot's head next to his darker counterpart.

Shadow raises a brow at him, and the hero snickers. "What? Jealous?"

The Ultimate Lifeform narrows his eyes slightly at him. "Stop fooling around."

Knuckles cursed as his claws proceeded to do absolutely nothing to the black metal of the robot. _"Argh!_ What the heck is this stuff made out of?"

Tails, finally getting a full scan up on his monitor, frowns thoughtfully. "It looks like some mutated form of magnesium based alloy as well as diamond…"

Sonic and Shadow both blink in slight surprise, before turning to watch the white jet plane zoom by. "What the heck does that mean?" Sonic questioned, while Shadow watched yet another building fall to the robot's hands.

A very sultry voice joined in over their radio. _"In English, it means that it's most likely the strongest compound in all of Mobius," _Rouge explains. _"Diamond is the hardest of gems, while magnesium based alloys are some of the strongest and most convenient metals."_

Knuckles jumps off the robotic arm, blinking a few times as he tried to wrap his head around it. "How do you know all of this?"

The bat snickers. _"Please, darling. I'm a master jewel thief. I know these things."_

Sonic could practically hear Shadow roll his eyes, as he turns his attention to Tails. The robot seemed to notice that two hedgehogs were standing on its head.

"Next time, let's skip the science explanations and get right to it. How do we take it down?"

Shadow reaches over and grabs the blue hedgehog's arm, teleporting them away before the robot could shake them off.

Tails snaps his fingers with an excited smile. "Magnesium based alloy is super light! Knuckles! You should be able to lift it easy!"

The echidna grins, cracking his namesakes. "About time!"

Sonic and Shadow appear on top of a nearby building, the blue hedgehog giving his comrade a questioning look, his hands on his hips, and a blue brow raised. The darker one looks at him with a scowl, and Sonic chuckles. "Thanks for the lift, by the way," the hero nudges him with an elbow, before turning to watch his red friend below try to find an opening to grab the robot's foot.

He sighs, tapping his foot impatiently. Shadow crosses his arms, his scowl never fading.

"Alright, let's help him," Sonic huffs, and the two take off at the same time.

Rouge's voice sounds back over their com-links. _"Tails, are you getting that energy signature?"_

The fox frowns, looking back at his monitor. A little blue pulse was beating off of the robot, and he leans forward, his eyes widening suddenly. "Guys! That robot is being powered by four Chaos Emeralds!"

"I don't feel anything," Shadow frowns, jumping out of the way of about ten missiles. Sonic looks back from where he stood a few feet away. "Neither do I, and I know Chaos Emeralds."

Knuckles coughs up some dirt, waving away the dust that lifted up every time the 'bot stomped down. "I would have felt that too. I mean, four emeralds? That's a lot of energy, Tails."

Rouge, from where she sat in the base of G.U.N., turns and snaps at the soldiers behind her. "I need better readings on that energy signature." With her harsh voice, the technicians and soldiers got to work.

She sighs and looks back at her monitor, reaching for the mic on her head piece. "If those really are Chaos Emeralds, then the alloy and diamond might be interfering with their signal. I barely caught it on my system."

Back at the battle, Sonic slams into the side of the robot again, trying to get its attention so Knuckles could do his thing. He bounces back, his red shoes landing with a tap as Tails catches him on the Tornado's wing. "If their signal did make it through, though, that means there has to be a weak spot, right?"

"Working on it now," Tails answers, one hand piloting the plane, the other at his monitor. Sonic chuckled helplessly. Tails was the ultimate multitasker.

Sometimes…

"Better find something soon," Shadow's harsh voice spoke through their links.

"I agree," Knuckles adds, jumping back to avoid both a foot and a missile. "This is getting out of hand."

"I got it!" Tails suddenly exclaims. "The center of the robot's chest is its weak spot. It's small, but with a power ring, Sonic, you should be able to make it through there!"

The hero himself swipes a thumb across his nose in a cocky gesture. "Not a problem! Lay it on me, little bro!"

Tails lifts a panel and pulls the lever behind it, shooting out a golden ring from the side of the white plane. Sonic dashes off of the wing, reaching out for the ring, his fingers just there…

…and then he's grabbed by a large, robotic hand.

"Sh-Shoot!" he exclaims, watching the ring fall far below. The robot lifts him up, its fingers tight around his body, squeezing the breath out of him. He's met face to face with the ugly mech, to a large, clear viewing pane of glass, Dr. Eggman himself smirking viciously over his control console.

"I've got you now, you pesky little runt!" the doctor gloats, brushing his mustache with a stroke of his fingers. Sonic grins.

"I'd much rather be a little runt than your size, that's for sure!" he jokes, watching the doctor's face turn red with anger.

"How mature…" he sneers at the young teen. "If you're afraid of looking this perfect, maybe I should squeeze you down a size!"

With that, the robot's hand began to do so, crushing the little hedgehog in its grasp with immense strength. Sonic's eyes widened, his face paling, before he grits his teeth and squeezes those eyes shut, his breath catching in his throat. The pain was unbearable, and it was only getting worse the more the robot's grip tightened. A sharp pain in both his leg and side caused him to cry out in shock. He could feel something sharp digging into him, cutting into flesh and going only Chaos knew how deep. Eventually it got to be too much for him, and he shook his head violently, before letting out a pained scream.

"Oh no!" Tails cried out, starting to press buttons frantically on his monitor. Missiles, rockets, anything he could fire at the robot, he sent off. "We have to get him out of there!" he slams his fists on the console.

Shadow dashes up to the robot's hand, grabbing at and trying to pry the fingers off of the blue hedgehog. Another scream, this time weaker, broke from the Hero of Mobius. His bones felt like they were on the verge of snapping and shattering, and whatever was cutting into his leg and torso were blinding his vision with white. He could hardly breathe at this point, and Shadow cursed as he watched the hedgehog groan and lean his head forward in bitter anguish.

"Tails!" Knuckles calls, his mouth blurting out whatever his mind thought of in half a second. "Is it possible for me to still flip it?"

The fox felt himself whimper and shake his head. "You…you might have to…it may be our only choice!"

Knuckles swallows, watching a giant foot stomp down in front of him. He dashes forward, seizing his chance, grabbing the large foot with all the strength he had left.

"Then you better pray for Sonic," he breathes, before heaving.

The robot made a screech as it was forced to bend backwards, Eggman screaming as his robot was sent tumbling down. The Guardian of the Master Emerald could not believe how light this monster of a robot actually was. Rouge and Tails had actually been right…

Shadow's eyes widen as the robot is tipped, and he jumps to the other side of the hand, holding on to it with everything he had. With a loud crash and boom, a few more buildings collapsing, the remains of the roads broken apart, and a huge cloud of dust and debris rising, the robot had fallen.

Knuckles was panting heavily, stumbling backwards from the large lift. His purple eyes tried to focus on anything other than dirt, dust, and smoke, while holding up a hand to cough into.

Both Sonic and Shadow were shaken, the former more so than the other. With a curse, the crimson streaked hedgehog yells angrily into his communicator. "Anyone want to get down here and help me?!"

As Tails made to land the Tornado, Knuckles took off. Climbing the fallen mech, he runs and nearly trips his way over to the black hedgehog, who was looking at Sonic with actual concern. The grip on the hero had loosened only a bit, and the Blue Blur was dazed and nearly unconscious, shivering fiercely.

Both rivals then start to grab ahold of the giant fingers of the robot, slowly, forcefully pulling them up and apart. They got the first, then the second, then…

When they tried to lift the third, Sonic let out another cry of pain. They both freeze hesitantly, before shaking it off and giving a harsh lift of the finger.

A loud, piercing rip of metal followed, making them all cringe. When they got the finger up, they saw why Sonic had cried out.

A part of the robot's hand had been damaged some, parts of the metal lifted up and sticking out dangerously. Two pieces of that lifted up metal where in both Sonic's right leg and left side.

Wincing at the injuries of his friend, Knuckles leans down to scoop the hero up carefully. Sonic groans, his head rolling to lay against the echidna's chest, only a part of him still conscious.

"Is he okay?!" Tails calls frantically, looking for a spot to land the X Tornado. The two eldest males exchange worried looks. Sonic was groaning quietly, his eyelids fighting to stay open.

"I'm not so sure," Knuckles admits, his voice smothered in grim. "He's punctured by metal in two spots, and the fall didn't help much."

The sound of quickly approaching footsteps turn the two's attention to the pink heroine that had joined them. Amy was panting slightly, her eyes widening when they fell on the injured hedgehog in Knuckles's arms. "Oh my gosh!"

Shadow looks up just in time to see the Tornado land not too far from them, on the only smooth piece of road left in this part of the city. Tails jumped up from his seat, waving at them frantically. "We need to get him home!"

They all nod, taking off towards the plane. The sound of sirens echoed off the destruction in the heart of the city; G.U.N. moving in to clean up the mess. The heroes boarded the Tornado, Knuckles carrying Sonic in the seat behind Tails, asking for a first aid kit.

"There's one under my seat!" Tails exclaims, getting the plane up and running. Within seconds they're in the air, and Amy and Knuckles are trying everything they can in such the small space to control the bleeding of their cobalt friend.

"Keep him awake as much as possible," Tails orders, flying them as fast as he could to his and Sonic's home in Knothole, several miles away. "I don't want him going too far into shock."

"Or not waking up at all," Knuckles curses under his breath, shaking his friend out of sleep. Sonic groans, but is still delirious.

"Don't say things like that!" Amy yells at the ruby echidna, giving him an angry look. "He's going to be okay!"

_"How bad is it?"_ Rouge was heard hesitantly asking over Shadow's communicator. The black and red hedgehog on the wing, looks over at the azure hedgehog with some visible distraught.

"Not very good at all," he answers. "He's injured crucially." He looks down at the screen on his communicator. "I will meet up with you later."

The bat nods, worry clearly seen in her teal eyes. _"All right. Let me know how he turns out."_

"How long until we're there?" Knuckles asks, his patience faltered to its point. "We're out of bandages, and these rags are soaked. He's not doing good at all."

Tails bites his bottom lip, feeling his throat swell as he tried to fight the tears. "We're nearly there! I can see the house. Get ready to head to my lab."

He could not cry. He could not be weak. He needed to pull himself together for Sonic's sake.

_'What if Sonic's leg is permanently damaged? What if he can't run again? What if…?'_

He shook his head. He couldn't stress over these thoughts now. They were going to save his brother. Nothing was going to stop that.

Shadow had jumped off the plane before it even touched the ground. Knuckles and Amy were up and out of it, Tails following suit. Shadow opens the front door, holding it open for the echidna to carry the injured hero through. Tails dashes passed them, running into his lab, turning on the lights and making room on the cushioned table in the center of the room.

"Put him here," he orders, turning to start quickly opening and closing cabinets, searching for the right supplies. Knuckles does as he's told, while the other two join him around the table.

"Amy, I need you to go get towels and a few rags from the closet," the yellow kitsune orders, finally finding his medical kit under the sink on the far counter. Amy nods and turns, running back out of the room. Tails continues, putting the kit up on the counter next to the small table. "Knuckles, Shadow, I need you to hold him steady. He's gonna kick when I try to work on his leg."

The two nod, Knuckles at the hedgehog's side, while Shadow held the injured leg's ankle down. Amy runs back in, carrying a stack of three towels and three rags. Tails points to the spot next to the medical kit.

"Put them there. Do you think you can work on his side while I get his leg done?"

The pink girl winces slightly. "I…If I have to I will."

Tails nods, knowing all hell was about to break loose. Sonic was still somewhat conscious, his teeth grit and his eyes squeezed shut in pain. As surprising as it was that the hero hadn't blacked out yet, the fox had a feeling he was going to stay awake until this was over. Sonic's Chaos Energy was most likely trying to heal him, but with the metal penetrated in his leg and side, the energy couldn't do its job.

_'Sorry, Sonic.'_

He gets to work, his heart rate shooting up faster than his brother can run. He grabs one of the larger tweezers, biting his lip. It was going to hurt, but it was also what was going to save him.

As expected, the moment Tails tried to pry the metal out of the hero's leg, Sonic let out a loud cry, both legs kicking in utter instinct. Shadow nearly cursed, as Knuckles joined him in holding him down. Even when injured, the blue hero was still strong as hell…

Amy figured she needed to start working on his left side, and she does so, causing the azure mobian writhing on the table to groan.

Sonic couldn't see a thing. He could barely make out the words of his friends, and his nerves were on fire with pain. He wanted to just pass out, but with his Chaos Energy, he most likely wouldn't until the pain settled down. He just hoped that his friends hurried it up.

The large piece of metal was suddenly yanked from his leg, and he lets out a sharp scream. Everyone flinches in the room, before Amy gets out the metal in his side. Another weak cry breaks his fawn lips, and Tails motions for everyone to back away.

"Alright, give him some space," he says, while the blue hero rolls over on his non-injured side, both growling and whimpering at the same time.

They all waited for the hero to calm down, concerned with the amount of blood gushing from his leg and side. If he didn't black out from the pain, he certainly would from blood loss.

"Why don't we take him to a hospital?" Amy asks shakily. Both Tails and Knuckles looked at her with horror.

"Absolutely not," Knuckles blurts out. "Last time we took him to a hospital, he woke up freaking out, beat up half of the hospital staff, and took off. We found him collapsed about a hundred miles away."

The girl's eyes widen, and Shadow looks at the echidna with a raised brow. "You're kidding…"

Tails shakes his head. "He's not. There's something about hospitals that sends Sonic over the edge. He was so out of it and freaked out that he didn't even remember what happened when he did wake up. All he knew was that he did something and he felt really bad about it."

The guardian friend nods. "Yeah. He just kept saying 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry,' over and over again. He seriously injured a lot of people in that hospital."

As Amy and Shadow tried to process the shock of this story, Tails took a look at the mentioned hero. Sonic was breathing a bit deeper now, his eyes closed, and his body a bit more relaxed.

"He's out, which means his Chaos Energy is finally getting to work. We'll still need to stitch him up and give him some pain medicine."

Knuckles nods, crossing his arms. "I'll head to Angel Island to get you some herbs."

Shadow's communicator suddenly beeps, and he frowns, pressing the little red button on the side of the black device. Rouge's face pops up, and she looks a bit pissed.

_"Eggman's gone, as are the Chaos Emeralds."_

"Why am I not surprised?" Shadow countered with a scowl. Knuckles raises a brow.

"What I want to know is how he was able to get four Chaos Emeralds in the first place, as well as build such a huge robot in limited time. It's only been a month since Sonic and Chip put the world back together."

Tails, who was wringing water out of a damp rag, nods, turning to his brother to start cleaning up the wounds. "That bothers me, too. Super Sonic scattered the emeralds after he lost his form. There's no way Eggman should have been able to collect four of them that quickly."

"Especially with how hard they are to find when they scatter," Amy adds, putting a hand on her hip.

Rouge rests her chin in her hands. _"For once he's faster than all of us, and we still can't find his base. It's not anywhere on this continent, that's for sure." _She pauses, perking up a bit. _"Is Sonic okay?"_

Shadow nods. "He is for now. I'm on my way. We need to find those emeralds and the doctor as soon as possible."

The bat nods, letting him off with a 'see you soon.'

After a goodbye from both he and Knuckles, Amy looks at the yellow fox with slight concern.

"You don't think there's any permanent damage to Sonic's leg, do you?"

Tails glances at said appendage, trying to think as positive as possible. "I hope not. I mean, he's taken heavy hits many times before. With his energy, I would like to think he'll be okay." After inwardly convincing himself, he adds; "I mean, it might take quite a bit of time for him to recover but…nothing's going to stop him from running."

Amy smiles gently. "You're right. He's too stubborn to let something like this slow him down." Walking over the side of the table, giving her hero a sad glance, she looks to Tails. "Do you need me to get you anything?"

The young hero frowns, continuing to clean up the dirt and blood on his brother's leg. "I'm not sure right now. You can stay just in case though, if you want."

The pinkette smiles again, her green eyes showing strong empathy. "I will."

Tails focuses back on the Hero of Mobius.

He felt shaky all over, from the inside out, but there was something about seeing Sonic sleep so peacefully right now that calmed him down some. Sonic always told him everything was going to be okay. Even if things seemed really bad right now at this moment, there will always be a better tomorrow. They've made it through so much, and this was only another hurdle they had to jump.

He had no idea how high that hurdle really was, and that there was still a mountain to climb behind it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Snowflakes spun and twirled as they drifted through the air, twinkling in the late evening sun. They landed against the cold glass of a window, their beautiful crystalline shape only visible for a small moment before they gently melted away into icy frost. As the fox kit brushed away the condensation on the other side of the smooth, clear surface, his sky blue eyes focused on a shape passed the delicate white flakes. Although the winter seemed to be warming up for the evening, it was still rather cold out. He couldn't suppress his worry at seeing the spiky blue shape of his brother, sitting out there on the opal colored ground.

Cobalt quills swayed in the cold breeze, along with the branches of the tall magnolia above them. Somehow the tree had managed to make it through the winter with its leaves bright and red, and it seemed to be shading over the azure hedgehog, as if protecting him from some unspoken threat.

The tree could not, however, protect him from the cold that threatened to freeze him, Tails knew, and so he turns around, quickly running to the front door, reaching up to grab his light blue coat -a gift from his brother- and a slightly larger red one. After adorning himself with his own winter garments, he grabs the handle of the door next to him and swings it open, holding his hat to prevent it from flying away in the wind. Once he deemed it safe to proceed, he shuts the door behind him, and makes his way carefully down the snow covered steps, his shoes crunching as he walked around their little house, under the tree where the blue hedgehog sat.

He notices that the bandages wrapped around the cobalt creature's waist and leg are somewhat torn, spots of them red. Did the stitches tear? Most likely, he thought glumly to himself. He had warned his brother that he needed to rest the injuries, but the teen had wanted nothing more than to get up and go and run. They were going to have to patch him up again…

He carefully opens the red coat in his hands, stepping over to drape it over the hedgehog's fawn shoulders. His brother doesn't seem to notice or care, his emerald green eyes focused acutely on something in the distance. Blinking a few times, the golden fox turns his head to where the other was staring, and his eyes widen at the sight.

The sky was a bright, burning red, followed in a shade of orange and yellow. It faded out even more to pinks and purples, until finally the night sky brought a dark blue background to the picture. Stars were nearly visible in the darkness, while the sun slowly sank beneath the snow covered hills. Its rays of light reflected off of the crystal surface of the white powder, illuminating the land in a glowing aura that rose like mist into the air. It was a beautiful sight, and the fox couldn't help but gape in awe.

Fawn lips slowly curved into a lazy smile, their owner leaning back on his hands, blue lids drooping halfway. His yawn that followed brought the younger one's attention back to him, and the golden kit kneeled to sit down next to him.

"Now I see why you like winter so much," the fox spoke in a soft voice. "It's so…" he couldn't even pick a word for it. It was just too great for words.

A quiet, husky chuckle was heard next to him. "Yeah," his voice was just as soft, "it's something."

The little fox turns his head, smiling brightly at his older brother. The hedgehog seemed relaxed, content, and happy, and that made himself happy. To think just yesterday they had been fighting for their lives, and now they were sitting here enjoying their victory.

Well, somewhat of a victory.

The fox couldn't help but glance at the bandages on his brother again. "You hurt yourself again," he says quietly in a chiding voice. "You need to be a little more patient with your recovery…"

The cobalt teen chuckled again, winking in amusement. "You know me better than that…"

The kid rolls his eyes. "I know I do, but you still should listen, if not for yourself, than for me."

This catches the hedgehog's attention, and he turns to look at the younger one with a small frown. "Hm? What's that supposed to mean?"

The kitsune gives him an accusing look, his brows furrowing slightly. "It means I don't like to see you hurt, Sonic. If you don't care about yourself, at least acknowledge that I care about you."

One blue ear folded down at that comment, a weak smile forming on his muzzle. "I know you do, but you shouldn't be so worried about me…"

The fox's eyelids fall halfway, raising a brow at his older brother. "Oh really? Says you… You do the same thing with me all the time."

The hedgehog turns his head, laughing slightly. "That's because it's my job to. I'm the older one, here."

The indeed younger mobian shakes his head exasperatedly. "Sometimes I find that hard to believe…"

Another laugh was followed by a gentle shove. "Oh, you and your sassiness. I swear you get worse every birthday of yours."

The fox couldn't help but chuckle as well, leaning back over against his brother. They were shoulder to shoulder, and he closed his eyes comfortably. "I learn from the best," he teases.

"Knuckles? Yeah I know, he's got quite an attitude…"

The fox sighs, shaking his head, but smiling nonetheless. These were moments he cherished the most in his life, just sitting here with his brother, talking leisurely, enjoying the warmth and comfort of one another. He looks back up at the hedgehog, frowning now. "I am serious though, Sonic. Please take it easy and let me take care of you until you're fully recovered. You were hurt so bad…"

Azure sighed and closed his eyes, knowing he couldn't escape this one. "Yeah, buddy. If it makes you feel better, I'll take a break."

Golden raised a brow. "You promise? You have to swear."

The hedgehog chuckles once more, drawing an 'x' over his chest with a finger. "I swear, bud. Cross my heart."

The fox wasn't done. "And you'll let me take care of you?"

He could practically feel the sweat roll off his head, and with a sigh, he pulls his little brother in for a side hug. "I promise, Tails."

The kid was now fully satisfied, and he smiles, curling into his brother's side, fully accepting the hug. He breathes in, enjoying the warmth and security the hedgehog provided, while feeling the teen bury his cold muzzle into the gold fur on his head. The hedgehog really was cold, but the warmth of both of them together seemed to dissipate that cold and bring only comfort in its stead.

"I'm really proud of you, bud," he heard after a moment, and he looks up in slight confusion.

"What do you mean?"

The hedgehog smiles warmly. "Yesterday…the way you handled everything…taking over like a leader and pulling everything together…"

The fox's eyes widen slightly, an excited warmth rising from his chest. "R-Really?"

The blue teen nods, ruffling the golden bangs on his little brother's head. "Of course! It was awesome for you to keep so calm and everything, even after everything that happened."

The praise made the fox's heart jump, and a sudden rush of happiness swarmed over him in a thick, fluffy blanket. "You really think so? I just…did everything I thought you would do…"

The hedgehog nods, his smile never fading. "You were right on and more, little bro."

The fox couldn't help but jump into his brother's arms, hugging him tightly. The hedgehog jumped with the sudden action, but the smile grew back just as fast. He pulled the kid closer, returning the hug with all the strength he could muster. His body hurt, but he wouldn't turn down the kid for anything in the world.

He wouldn't have heard his brother wheeze slightly if it hadn't been so quiet. He pulls back, giving the hedgehog a nervous look. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to hurt you…"

The cobalt mobian holds up a hand. "Don't worry about it. I feel fine."

The kitsune looked doubtful, but sat back beside his brother anyway. "That's another thing you need to promise."

"What's that?" the hedgehog asked, a bit reclusively.

The kit nudges him. "Don't lie to me."

The hedgehog raised a brow, looking a bit offended. "But I am fine, bud. That wasn't a lie…"

"Just in case," the fox counters, causing his brother to sigh.

"Alright, I promise. Do I have to sign anywhere?"

Tails gives him a weak glare, shaking his head. "Don't ruin the moment…"

The sky was nearly swallowed by the night now, the only traces of day left being the purple coloring just over the horizon. The stars twinkled brightly, and the snow glowed in the moonlight, and although beautiful still, it was starting to get colder.

"We should go in before we get sick," the younger of the two offers, standing up to dust snow off of himself. "You've been out here for a long time."

The hedgehog takes in a deep breath, before letting out a woof of air. "I guess you're right…" he mumbles, as he goes to push himself to his feet. The fox could see his brother wince, obviously still in pain from the catastrophe yesterday.

"Did you want anything to help?" the kit asks softly. "We do have those herbs from Angel Island. I could make something up real quick or…"

"Don't worry about it," the teen says, finally at his feet, dusting himself off as well. "I'll make it with some food and a nap."

The fox pouts slightly. "At least let me fix the torn stitches, Sonic. You're bleeding again."

The hedgehog just seems to realize that, as he catches a glimpse of his right leg. "Heh, I guess so. Alright, we'll do that then eat. I'm starving…"

The fox smiles. "You're always starving…"

The two turn and begin heading back towards their house, a plan set and ready to be put into action. "It's not my fault," Sonic jokes, lacing his fingers behind his head. He opens his mouth to continue before suddenly stopping, a confused frown on his muzzle.

Tails stops and looks back at him, tilting his head questioningly. "What's wrong?"

Blue ears flick, as their owner seemed to be listening for something.

Then his eyes widen.

"We need to move!" he randomly exclaims, grabbing Tails and jumping as far as he can from the house into the air. Tails didn't even have time to question it before a strange, purple and black portal opened up above the trees, and the Death Egg Robot from yesterday was falling and smashing their house.

"The X Tornado!" Tails calls in distraught, before the two crash land into the ground.

Sonic hisses in pain, pushing himself to his feet and grabbing for his brother's hand. "We've got more important things to worry about, little bro."

Tails worriedly glaces at Sonic's injuries, before looking back over his shoulder as they ran together, away from the now swarms of robots flying through the portal. "How did he find us?" he calls.

"I wanna know how he was able to get his robots to use Chaos Control," Sonic huffs under his breath, eyes narrowed in concentration. He guides them through the trees, dodging bullets and missiles that were chasing after them. "Did he follow us home or something yesterday?" he asks, referring to Tails's question.

The fox felt a cold guilt shake him. They must have led Eggman right to their house. They were so preoccupied with saving Sonic… They should have been more careful.

A missile flies over their head, exploding into a tree a few feet ahead of them. The whistling sound of another approaching puts Tails into action. He grabs Sonic by the arms and flies them up off the ground, just missing the projectile headed their way.

Sonic grits his teeth, fighting the pain in his side as Tails lifts them higher. "We gotta make it to the Tornado I," he calls up to his little brother.

Tails is determined to get them there. He lands them a little ways away from the exploding missiles and they start running again, not as fast as Sonic should be able to run.

The kitsune is watching him like a mother hen. Sonic wasn't recovered enough to deal with anything like this. If they weren't careful, he could really hurt himself.

They run down the path to the hidden cave the red biplane was kept, but end up skidding to a halt in shock at the sight of the place on fire, robots tearing everything apart.

"Ohhh, not my plane…" Sonic groans in distress, grabbing his head. "Not again…"

"Sonic," Tails calls, grabbing his hand and pulling him away from the wreckage. "What do we do now?"

"I don't know," the hedgehog admits. "We gotta get away from the village, though. He's going to destroy Knothole with that robot."

"I wish I had my communicator," Tails mumbles. "Could really use Knuckles or Shadow right now."

"Watch out!" Sonic exclaims, grabbing the kit and diving down as a dozen missiles shoot over their heads.

The forest was on fire in multiple spots, trees and vegetation burnt to a crisp. They could hear people screaming in the town, and looking up, they could see the Death Egg Robot headed towards them. There were so many robots flying around now they could barely see the sky.

"Sonic…" Tails presses, giving his brother a very concerned look. "We can't outrun them."

This makes Sonic scowl bitterly. "I can try."

"Sonic, you know you can't," the fox huffs as he pulls himself to his feet. "We need a plan."

He helps his frustrated brother to his feet, watching those emerald eyes waver in aggravation. "I can lead them away," he offers, muttering almost too quietly.

"No! They'll catch you!" Tails exclaims. "We need to-"

"Move!" Sonic interrupts, grabbing the yelping fox and dashing out of the way of a falling tree. He doesn't stop this time, pulling Tails along with him as he went.

They were out of plans and no way to escape. Eggman had them cornered and obviously had planned this out.

They're forced to come to a halt as a large robot teleports right in front of them, large hammer in hand. It swings it down into the ground with a loud boom, dirt flying everywhere from the impact. Tails had pulled them both back before it hit them, and they now ran in another direction.

Again they come to a screeching stop as more robots appeared in their path. Turning again was fruitless; they were completely surrounded.

"Sonic," Tails whispers as they fall back to back. "We can't fight them all."

The Hero of Mobius raises his fists, getting into a fighting stance. "We have to try and make a way out of here," he says determinedly. "G.U.N. has to know by now."

The robots were readying their weapons to fire. Tails doubted the military would get to them in time to save them from this ambush.

Sonic was right though.

They had to try.

They both jump up and out of the way of fire, letting the robots shoot each other up before redirecting their aim at the two brothers. Tails tries to keep an eye on Sonic as they fight, but can't focus much on him while trying to fend for himself. He grabs one robot's gun and shoots the bots surrounding him, calling out for Sonic once he runs out of ammo.

Sonic can barely keep a spindash anymore, his injuries showing their true colors now. He curses as he's hit in the chest by a robotic arm, sending him flying back into a tree and two.

Tails sees this and runs forward, trying to get to him, but stops short when he's hit, too, falling down into the ground with a cough of pain. He can't even call his brother's name before something hits him in the head and he's out cold.

* * *

"Tails!"

He has a hard time squinting his eyes open, and the first thing he notices when feeling comes back to him is the splitting pain in the back of his head.

"Tails?"

Again, his name is called, and it takes him a second to realize that it's coming from his brother's voice, right in front of him. "Sonn…?" he tries, shaking his head. He tries to wipe his eyes, only to find that he can't move his arms.

Then he remembers.

The attack. He and Sonic running. Seeing Sonic go down and then…

He forces his eyes to blink open rapidly, fighting the blurriness at the corners of his vision. He focuses on the blue hedgehog in front of him, looking greatly concerned.

"Sonic?" he tries again, trying to get a good look at their situation.

Sonic was sitting in a chair across from him, only a couple feet away. His arms were chained down to the arms of the chair, as well as his ankles to the legs of it. There were metal binds across his chest and thighs, and the chair itself was bolted down to the floor. Moving around a bit, the fox realized he himself was only bound by his wrists behind his back with a rope, and his ankles were tied to the chair with rope as well. Sonic was a bigger threat, of course.

Eggman was going to regret underestimating him, he thinks, eyeing the room they were trapped in. It was dark concrete, about ten feet high and wide, with only a single, heavy door of metal on the wall behind Sonic. They were seated in the center of this dimly lit room, right under the only foggy white light in it.

"You okay?" Sonic asks, giving the fox kid a worried frown as he watches him fully assess their situation.

"Y-Yeah," Tails responds slowly, brows furrowing and mouth pulling into a thin line. He looks back at the older mobian, immediately looking at the wounds that were definitely much worse than they had been before. The bandages around both his torso and leg were soaked red, which meant all the stitches had been torn and the wounds were reopened. "Are you okay?" he asks in return, looking up to meet those emerald green eyes that flicked with annoyance at the question.

"Yeah, I'm fine," the owner of those eyes responds, sounding exhausted.

Ignoring his migraine, Tails shakes his head and tries to stretch out his arms and legs, the sound of rope tightening making both mobians cringe.

"You think you could break out of it?" Sonic asks, lowering his voice by a slight margin. "I know it's tight, but…"

"Maybe," the kit murmurs as he tests their limits. "If I work at it enough I might be able to…" He pauses and eyes the door behind his brother. "Do you know where we are?"

Sonic shakes his head. "No idea. I just woke up a few minutes ago. I don't even know if we're underground or not."

"It feels like it," the fox murmurs, mostly to himself. The ropes were burning the skin through his fur, but he grit his teeth and dealt with it anyway. If he could get out, he would have a chance at getting Sonic out as well.

The two both jump suddenly at the sound of the door to the room slamming open. Sonic turns his head as Tails sits still, both looking at the tall, round human that walked in. Eggman was walking with a bounce to his step, hands folded behind his back and glass gleaming in the dark light.

"Good rest?" he asks, coming to stand behind Sonic's chair and put a hand on the back of it. Sonic turns his head, a scowl falling over his face, his blue ears bent backwards. Tails felt the hair on the back of his neck rise in anger at this.

When neither fox or hedgehog answer him, the mad doctor chuckled. "Sore losers? That's so typical of both of you." The clasps on the floor holding Sonic's chair suddenly open, and Eggman grabs the chair with one hand and tilts it back, making the hero's eyes widen. "I'm sure you'll be much more talkative soon, hedgehog. We've got ourselves much to discuss."

Tails watches with wide eyes as Eggman starts pulling Sonic's chair back, dragging it towards the door. The fox tries once again to wiggle out of his binds, but with no luck. Sonic meets his panicking eyes and gives him a shaky smile and thumbs up.

'It'll be okay,' he mouths.

Then the door is shutting, and Tails is left by himself, feeling hopeless.


	3. Chapter 3

***Warnings Apply For This Chapter. For More Information, Read The Warnings Section On The First Chapter Of This Story.***

**Chapter Three**

Shadow only stares in utter disbelief at the destruction.

According to the people of Knothole, once Eggman had Sonic and Tails, all the robots just disappeared. Teleported away. The town was a mess, and Sonic and Tails's house was completely destroyed. There was nothing but wreckage left, and it churned his stomach at the thought of the two being inside when the house was destroyed.

"You're here," Knuckles's voice called from the debris. He steps over some support beams and walks up to him, amethyst eyes studying his own ruby ones for traces of information. "Did you talk to the town?"

Shadow nods, crossing his arms. "The doctor has somehow managed to allow his robots to Chaos Control. He took both Sonic and Tails, but no one saw where because they teleported."

"Damn," the echidna huffs, turning and looking back at the house...or what was left of it. "We need to find them, fast. Only Chaos knows what he's doing with them."

"G.U.N. has units out already in search," Shadow explains, as Knuckles looks back at him. "Rouge is investigating any and all of the doctor's bases left unattended."

"Then we should look at the ones that _are _attended," the Guardian says, cracking his namesakes. "They could be anywhere, and Sonic's still injured."

"That shouldn't be possible," Shadow then frowns, foot tapping unconsciously. "His Chaos Energy should have healed him by now."

Knuckles nods. "I know that. He shouldn't have been that hurt to begin with. I'm betting there's something wrong with his energy that even he doesn't know about yet."

That bothers Shadow, but he doesn't voice it out loud. If something was wrong with Sonic's energy, could the same thing happen to himself? Shaking the thought from his head, he turns and unfolds his arms. "I have a list of base locations. Are you coming with me?"

"Of course," the echidna says determindley. "I already left word with the other Resistance members. We've got no time to lose."

"Then let's get to it."

* * *

"Agh!"

Being slammed down on a metal table on his back, Sonic couldn't stop the pained shout from breaking his lips. The gash in his side is burning, the stitches completely torn at this point. The robots started putting heavy clamps down over his wrists, his ankles, and around his throat, despite his weak attempts to fight them off. Eggman is leaning back on the edge of his desk, arms crossed and a smirk growing under his mustache, watching in obvious amusement. Sonic turns and meets those black and red eyes hidden under blue glasses, giving up on fighting the robots restraining him. He knew there was nothing he could do, and these new robots were too strong, even without his injuries. There's a chilling silence under the sound of metal clanking and restraints tightening, and as Eggman's smirk grows into a full-blown grin, Sonic can't help but feel humiliated. He looks away with a red muzzle, breaking their eye contact and looking up at the black ceiling of this dimly lit lab room. The robots are adding restraints to his thighs and shoulders, and he wants to growl and kick them away and smash everything in this room. He can feel the doctor's eyes still on him, enjoying the show.

When the robots are finally done, they back away and stand idly by along the wall, their red eyes glowing menacingly. Sonic's ears fall back against his skull as he hears Eggman pull away from the desk and over to the table, leaning his hands on it and practically leering over the bound hedgehog.

"Comfortable?"

Sonic's emerald green eyes are slits as he glares back up at the human. He grits his teeth and refuses to say anything. What was the point? Why give the madman another reason to gloat?

Eggman's grin never falters, his red eyes slightly visible under his glasses. He pats the side of the hedgehog's muzzle, earning himself a good growl. "So temperamental you are, hedgehog. You should be grateful I haven't thrown you in a grinder yet, or that fox kid of yours."

"You hurt a hair on his head…" Sonic threatens lowly.

"Now, Sonic, what did we say about your temper?" the doctor pulls back, crossing his arms. "Can't have you accidentally transforming into_** Dark Sonic**_ anytime soon, can we?"

Sonic flinches, turning his head to look away. His muzzle is suddenly grabbed, and he snarls in retaliation, being forced to look back at the doctor. He fights the hold, trying to shake the hand off, but with the restraint around his throat, he really couldn't do much.

"Don't give me any more reasons to hurt you, boy," Eggman warns. "We already have so much _discussing _to do."

Sonic gives up, glaring fiery eyes up at the large human.

Thank gods Tails wasn't in here, was all he could think.

"I don't know what you want but you're not getting it," Sonic snaps, quills scraping against the metal table as he tensed. His muzzle is suddenly squeezed painfully, and he winces, squeezing his eyes shut tight. "Nnnf-!"

"That's the fun part, rodent," Eggman smirks. "It's always more satisfying when you earn things the hard way. Now," he pauses, not letting up on the death grip he had on the hedgehog's face. Sonic's face was red, his eyes glossy from the pain, but his green eyes were still practically glowing with fight in them. That would change soon, the human tells himself as he continues. "...aren't you curious as to why your injuries haven't healed yet?"

Sonic's blue ears flick, his scowl turning into a confused frown.

"Oh, surely you've noticed something was wrong with your _source of healing_ by now," Eggman asks, mock surprise, "haven't you?"

It had crossed his mind that he didn't seem to be healing at all. Hell, the fact that he had take injuries so badly in the first place startled him. He had never bled so much in his life. Not even something like Erazor's blade or King Arthur's sword had ever done that much damage to his body, and that had been...terrifying to him at the time.

His body was usually too tough to take injuries like these ones, and even if it did, his Light Chaos Energy usually healed it in no time.

Wait a minute…

The look of realization must have been all over his face, because Eggman snickers, finally letting go of him. "That's right, hedgehog…" the man says, walking to stand beside his robots, holding out an arm like a showman presenting his trophies. "These robots are _very _special. You see, they can draw off of sources of pure, positive Chaos Energy...the very energy coursing through your veins. They can even use it to Chaos Control, and...you want to know the best part about these?" he asks, watching Sonic's face morph into one of pure horror. "The metal they're made out of is powered by artificial Chaos Energy. The same energy your little fox friend created to reverse the polarity of normal Chaos Energy. That means, whatever they touch…" he takes a small, square piece of metal out of his front pocket, walking over to Sonic and placing it on the hedgehog's forehead with a smirk.

A sudden jolt of energy sparks through him, and a surprised cry breaks his lips. "What the-?!" He tries to shake it off, but Eggman keeps it pressed against his head. An uncomfortable hot feeling started to travel through him, starting from the cold metal pressed against his skull. It was very hot, and it was starting to make him sick… Only one thing ever made him feel this way, and a suddenly nauseous feeling takes over him, and a cold fear settles in the pit of his stomach.

"Whatever this metal touches," Eggman starts again, grinning, "reverses the polarity of the energy of the target. Specifically, your positive energy...and you know what it turns into?"

"Stop!" Sonic suddenly cries out, now frantically shaking his head to get the metal off of him. "Get off of me!"

"Dark Chaos Energy," Eggman laughs, pulling the piece away and putting it back into his pocket. "The best part about this is that it lingers on whatever it's touched. Meaning, the metal that went into both your side and your leg, has left its mark on you. My robot drained you dry, rodent, and now the only bit of positive energy you have is being turned into negative the more you use."

Sonic's face is pale, and his forehead burns where the metal had touched. This was bad. This was _very _bad.

"What is wrong with you?!" he can't help but exclaim. "I thought you said _not _to use that energy!"

"I've changed my mind," Eggman shrugs joyfully. "I've grown tired of losing constantly to you, and quite frankly, I honestly don't care what becomes of this world or me for that matter. I've decided to change the game up a bit," his grin turns into something of nightmares, and he leans over him again, this time grabbing the hedgehog's top quills, completely ignorant of the spikes going into his hands. "What better way to beat you once and for all," he sneers, voice low and intimidating unlike anything Sonic had heard before. He could only stare up with wide eyes as the doctor asks, "...than to have you do the dirty work for me?"

Sonic swallows. "You want me to go Dark…" he says almost meekly. The doctor grins.

"Now you're catching on," the man says, letting go of his quills and almost kindly petting between blue ears. "What better way to end it all? What better way to destroy you? Having you destroy everything and kill everyone you've worked so hard to protect. Having you become the very monster you fought against. Having everyone hate the so called 'hero' they thought you were...and at the end of it all," he scratches behind one of those blue ears, his voice almost sweet now, making Sonic more anxious than he was before. "...you'll be all alone, the only thing left on this planet because you destroyed it all."

"Never…" the hero could only whisper. "It's not going to work. I won't let it."

"Oh, I expected that." Eggman chuckles. "I'd actually be concerned if you didn't fight it. In fact, go ahead and try, rodent. It'll be more fun to watch you fall that way. I have more than many ways at getting your Dark form out. Why do you think I caught a hold of that dear fox friend of yours?"

Sonic goes silent, his heart hammering in his chest. Not Tails. He wouldn't hurt Tails… He can't… Tails was his everything. His little brother. His family. The very thing he worked for, fought for. He could save the planet a million times over but it wouldn't be worth it if he couldn't save Tails.

"D-Don't…" Sonic starts shakily. "Don't you hurt him."

The fight in his voice is dying, Eggman notices. They were making progress.

"Oh, don't worry, I don't plan to if I don't have to," the human smiles, patting the hedgehog's head. "You just have to be a good boy and do as your told, and I can promise you your two tailed friend won't suffer any harm by my hands. I'm using him as a last resort, so to say."

The man pulls away again, this time eyeing the hero's injured side. A smirk curves his lips again, and he turns, over to the desk along the wall and opening a drawer. "Now, down to business," he says, almost cheerfully, and Sonic feels his heart leap into his throat. He watches the egg-shaped man grab a few things out of the drawer and turn back, a pep in his step as he stops beside the table. He puts these things down out of the hero's eyesight and keeps one in his hand - a pair of scissors. Sonic's heart is racing so fast it actually hurts. What the heck was this guy up to?

The hand that wasn't holding onto the scissors presses down on the hedgehog's side, right next to the large gash there. Sonic jumps, pulling at his restraints again. "Don't touch me!"

"Settle down, I'm not hurting you yet."

Well _that _was reassuring.

The doctor starts cutting at the torn bandages that were practically scraps at this point, throwing them behind him to the floor without care as he pulls them off. Sonic has his head turned to one side, quills and ears flattened, eyes tightly shut and mouth pulled into an uneasy scowl. He had no idea what Eggman was going to do, but he was more than sure it was going to be painful as all hell.

A sudden, stabbing pain erupts in his side, and he jumps again, a short yell leaving him, his eyes snapping open and widening._ "What are you doing?!"_

"Removing the stitches. Let a doctor work, rodent."

'_Not even a real doctor you lousy, piece of-'_

Another pain interrupts his thoughts, and he sucks in his breath, snapping his teeth together and leaning his head back, closing his eyes again.

Again, he felt humiliated. A grunt leaves him when he felt another stab of pain, and he fills his cheeks up with air, huffing it out through clenched teeth.

It takes maybe five more minutes for the rest of the torn stitches to be removed, and he can feel blood dripping down his side. He feels lightheaded and nauseous, and he could feel that negative Chaos Energy of his brewing around in his stomach like a demon.

He needed to keep himself together.

"A normal mobian would have died from blood loss," Eggman comments. "Have you ever questioned why you're so special, hedgehog?"

Sonic's scowl deepens, but he doesn't say a word. Not that it mattered, because the doctor didn't even give him a chance to think of an answer before hitting him in between the eyes with something hot. Sonic's eyes fly open, looking up at a small Chaos Drive.

Or...something that looked like one, but very, very dark.

The supposed Chaos Drive was half the size of a normal drive, and black, with a black and blue aura swirling around it like smoke. He suddenly felt very sick again, looking at it, and he couldn't even hide the cold fear he felt on the inside on his face. Eggman is grinning darkly again.

"I was able to drain enough Chaos Drives of their negative energy and contain it all within these very special drives," Eggman explains, holding up another one. "I'm calling them Dark Chaos Drives, and they were made specially for you."

"Ch-Charmed," Sonic stutters, voice cracking.

"I'm glad," the madman chuckles. "Instead of forcing you into your Dark form myself, I figured I'd speed up the _'natural process_.'"

He then takes one of the Chaos Drives, and, without any kind of warning whatsoever, jams it into the gash on the hedgehog's side.

Sonic screams.

* * *

His wrists burned, but the rope was loose enough now that, with just a few more twists…

"Got it!"

His arms pull free, and the fox immediately gets to work on untying his ankles. The knots were big, but not too sturdy. Eggman must not have cared whether or not he broke free, or doubted that he even could in the first place. Bad move on his part. He gets the ropes off, and stretches out his body, feeling it pop in multiple places.

Sonic and Eggman had been gone for a half hour now. His mind was racing with fear on what the evil doctor could be doing to his brother right now. He wondered what exactly Eggman wanted, or what his plan was. He could only hope that whatever it was, Sonic was strong enough to fight it.

He stands up, but too quickly, his vision going hazy for a minute and causing him to stumble forward a bit. He catches himself, taking a second to let his eyes clear, figuring he must have a concussion. It settles eventually, and he takes in a shaky breath of air, looking around their room.

There really was no way to get out of here, he thinks worriedly. He eyes the door that Eggman had taken Sonic through, and quietly walks over to it, studying it carefully.

It was very thick, and obviously made to prevent a certain hedgehog from spindashing through it. He had no idea what the lock system was from this side, considering there wasn't even a handle on this end. This room was made to hold Sonic in his prime state, and Sonic was even injured…

There had to be something they could do… He looks around the room again, wondering how it was staying ventilated. There were no vents or airholes as far as he could see, but then again, it was dark in here. There was only one, dingy yellow lightbulb in the center of the room above the chair he had been tied to.

Spinning his namesakes, he flies up to investigate the light, tilting his head as he checks to see how it was screwed into the ceiling. Nothing simple, that was for sure. There were no visible screws or brackets holding the light in place. He reaches up and tugs on its base, but doesn't even get a bit of movement. Eggman really thought of everything…

He lands back on the ground, playing with the tip of one of his tails nervously.

He supposed all he could do for now was wait, and brood.

* * *

"Ah-hah-haaaaangh…"

All he saw was white. His body fidgeted on the table, his entire form shaking and shivering violently. High pitched whines left him with each strangled gasp for air, while his fingers dug into the palms of his hands so hard his knuckles were probably white.

He was pretty sure he had never felt pain like this before. The Dark Chaos Drive was _burning hot. _It, plus the open wound, left a searing unlike anything he had ever experienced in his side, which was already sensitive to begin with.

Eggman is saying something, but his ears are ringing too much for him to understand what it is. He can't even see. He doesn't even feel the loose stitching the doctor does to the wound, because his pain was already through the roof at that point.

After finishing the crappy stitching job, the doctor leans back and waits for Sonic to come back to his senses. Emerald eyes are glossy and there's actual tears lightly streaming down the hero's muzzle. A pitiful look for him, really. It almost made the madman feel bad.

Almost.

"We have all day, hedgehog, take your time," he boasts sadistically.

Sonic's not sure how long it takes for him to be at least semi-coherent, but it had to have been quite some time. He blinks a few times, feeling water leave his eyes, and he hates himself for showing that much of his pain to his most dangerous nemesis. He was beyond embarrassed at this point. His ego was shattered and he could feel that Dark energy tapping into his emotions almost too easily.

"You're looking a shade darker, hedgehog," he hears Eggman's gleeful voice. "Are you sure you'll be able to handle it?"

Sonic curses himself. He had to fight it. He just _had _to.

"I-I'm-m f-fine…" he forces out, his voice hoarse from screaming and struggling to fight the pain.

"Well then, if that's the case," his vision's foggy, but he can see the doctor walk around the table as he says this, "let's get this other Drive in your leg, then?"

What?

No.

Oh _fuck _no.

He feels panic begin to settle, and this much is clear in his voice as he calls out, stopping Eggman for just a second.

"N-N-No! D-_Don't-!_"

Eggman only smirks and puts a hand over the torn bandages barely concealing the injury in his leg. He then presses down on it, putting a large amount of weight on it.

A stuttered cry leaves the hedgehog, his strong leg attempting to kick despite not only its injury, but its restraints as well. _"St-Stop!"_

"You know, if you don't use your Dark Energy to heal yourself," the doctor starts, leaning off of him and grabbing the scissors again. "...you might not ever be able to run again."

'_...not ever be able to run again.'_

Never run again…

"You'd be a useless little hedgehog, now wouldn't you?" Eggman laughs, cutting off the ragged bandages and throwing them aside. "You see, a normal mobian would have had to be amputated with an injury like this," he says, drawing a light right below the hedgehog's knee with the scissors to be dramatic. "If you don't heal yourself, you might have to lose a leg, _ho_, ho ho!"

He's going to vomit.

He sucks in and tries to hold his breath, but fails miserably. He can barely control his breathing, which has become as erratic as his heartbeat. He groans in distress and turns his head to the side, fingers squeezing into fists again and his leg jolting and flinching as Eggman removes the stitches there.

It doesn't take as long this time. By the time he hears Eggman pick up the Drive, he's in full blown dismay.

"N-No...d-don't...don't…" he tries, whines escaping from his throat. "Eggman d-don't…"

"Don't worry, the Drive itself dissolves and dissipates once it settles," the doctor comments without a care.

Again, there was no warning when the Drive was forced in.

A silent scream leaves the hedgehog's lips before he sucks in his breath and holds it. He thrashes about on the table, teeth clenched tight, more tears falling from his eyes.

Oh, it _hurt_.

He can only hold his breath for so long though. Once the air leaves him, a loud, agonized wail escapes him, filling the uneasy silence in the room.

Eggman is quick to restitch the leg, pointing at one of the robots and ordering it to get him some bandages.

The robot does as it's told, while Eggman addressing the now shouting hedgehog on the table, who has finally lost all sense of reality. He was screaming in between gasps of air, sobbing as he exhaled, body shaking so badly it looked as if he was having some kind of attack.

A tiny, disgusting sliver of guilt begins to grow in the doctor's mind, and he curses it. This was the rodent that destroyed his plans and ruined him again and again! Why should he feel bad in any way?

'_Because you're a terrible person, and he's just a kid trying to do what's right.'_

He shoves those thoughts down into the depths of his mind and decides that the hedgehog has had enough for now. He takes the bandages the robot gives him and messily wraps them around both major wounds, before pulling away and turning to the robots again.

"Take him back to the cell once he calms down. Retrieve him again in six hours."

"YES DR. ROBOTNIK," the robots all say in unison.

He doesn't even look back as he exits the room, leaving with a slam of a door.

* * *

A sudden flash of light erupts in the dark cell, making the fox kid jump with a gasp.

Three black robots that looked like smaller versions of the SWAT bots stood there, and the middle one was holding-

"Sonic!" Tails exclaims, stumbling to his feet from against the back wall. The robots drop Sonic carelessly on the hard ground, before disappearing in purple flashes.

The golden fox runs over, rolling Sonic over to his back. The hedgehog groaned, eyes opening and slipping closed on their own. The hero was not in a stable state of mind at all, which meant Eggman had done something terrible to him. Checking over his brother's limp body, he sees the new bandages loosely wrapped around his waist and leg and frowns. Did Eggman do something to the wounds to make them worse?

Deciding to get Sonic more comfortable, he carefully reaches under him and lifts him up into his arms, surprised on how easy it was. He carries him to the back wall and sits down, laying Sonic down over him so he didn't have to lay on the hard ground. The hero is groaning subconsciously, and Tails feels angry he can't do much to help him. He can only wrap his namesakes around the both of them, keeping Sonic as comfy as possible.

Eggman was _not _going to get away with this.


	4. Chapter 4

***Warnings Apply For This Chapter. For More Information, Read The Warnings Section On The First Chapter Of This Story.***

**Chapter Four**

When he wakes up, the first thing he notices is his muzzle lying against something soft and warm.

The second thing he notices, is pain.

It starts as a hot flash, then spreads in waves from both his side and his leg, and he can't stop the irritated groan that leaves him as he tries to roll over.

"Hey," he hears a soft voice call in his ear, and it takes him an honest second to recognize that voice as Tails. He feels a hand run across his forehead, and it feels nice, the only pleasant thing he feels at that moment. The rest of him hurt, more than he was used to. He wasn't use to feeling pain for this long. Usually it healed before it lasted too long, but with no Light Chaos and his stubbornness to never use his Dark, he was barely healing, if at all.

"Sonic," he hears again, and he blinks opens his eyes, squinting in the dim light. He feels the body he's laying on top of shift, so he can sit up better and be turned to lay more on his back. He looks back and up, meeting the worried sky blue eyes of his brother.

"H-Hey…" is all he can get out. He thinks about how terrible his voice sounds - all ragged and hoarse, and he wants nothing more than a pitcher of ice cold water to soothe his sore throat.

Tails isn't happy at all, large golden ears bent forward at the tips, brows up in purely visible concern. "How bad is it?"

That was a worse question than 'are you okay?' Sonic can't hide his slight surprise at it, the fact that he was taking a second to come up with a lie obvious as day.

"Don't sugarcoat it," the fox adds, giving him a warning glare.

The hedgehog frowns, before closing his eyes and sighing. "He drained my Chaos Energy, so I can't heal myself," is all he admits. Tails didn't know about the Dark Sonic thing, as well as none of their friends. He really wanted to keep it at that - a secret. He didn't want them to be afraid of him, or see him as a monster as Eggman had said.

"I had a feeling there was something wrong with it," the fox murmurs, almost thinking out loud. "Did he do it during the fight with the robot?"

Sonic nods, not opening his eyes. "Yeah. The robots are made of a special metal that can drain Chaos Energy."

The fox winces. "That's awful… No wonder they can Chaos Control and are super strong."

The hedgehog nods, feeling his brother pet through the top quills on his head. It was nice. "How long have I been asleep?"

Tails frowns, looking across the room at the door again. "About five hours, maybe? I'm not sure how much time is passing down here. Speaking of," he pauses, causing blue ears to tilt up. "...did you see much of the base? Any sign of where we are?"

Sonic frowns, brows furrowing together as he tried to think back. When Eggman had grabbed his chair and dragged him out of the room, he was greeted with a hallway made of metal walls, the same metal the robots were made out of. There were no windows, not many doors. All he saw was the hall, and the room Eggman took him to.

The room comes back to mind, and he shudders inwardly. Nothing really much had been in there, either. It was just dark, with only a few small lights, a desk, a few counters, monitors, a chair, and the metal table they had strapped him to.

He swallows, before shaking his head. "No, not really. It's just metal walls. I didn't see any sign of daylight or anything like that."

"Did he take you far?" Tails asks, scratching behind a blue ear. Sonic shakes his head again.

"No, just down the hall."

"Hmm."

They're quiet for a few minutes, before Tails asks the question Sonic was begrudgingly expecting.

"...What did he do to you?"

Cobalt ears fold back, their owner adorning an annoyed look across his face.

"I don't want to talk about it."

His voice is flat and spoke straight out refusal, meaning no matter how Tails tried, he wasn't going to get an answer. He was worried, though.

"Did he say what he was planning?" he asks, hoping to at least get something.

Sonic looks just as aggravated. "Not yet, surprisingly. I think he's just trying to keep us here while he does whatever it is he does."

The fox can't tell if he's being honest or not. "Keeping us here while he takes over Mobius?"

"Probably, yeah."

They're quiet again, this time with Tails leaning his head back against the wall behind them, his arms tightening just a little bit around the hedgehog in his arms. He thinks back to the door, and frowns. "Did he say when he was coming back? _Is _he coming back?"

The Hero of Mobius doesn't have an immediate answer. Sonic frowns, trying to remember what exactly Eggman had said towards the end of that...nightmare that had happened. He can barely recall what was even going on at that point, so if Eggman had said anything about coming back for him, or what he was up to, he had completely missed it.

"I honestly have no idea," Sonic says truthfully. "I wasn't conscious."

"Oh," Tails mumbles, feeling bad. He wondered what the doctor had done to drive Sonic to black out. It had to have been bad. "I'm sorry you had to be in there with him."

Hearing those words caught him by surprise. Tails sounds almost guilty. He wonders if Tails felt guilty at all about them being caught in the first place.

Natural big-brother instincts kick in, and the hero looks up at him and tries to give his best smile. "It wasn't so bad. His breath was probably the second worst part."

Tails blinks, tilting his head, a look of worry flashing in his eyes. "What was the first?"

"Looking at him."

The kitsune only stares at him for a second, before a small smile curves his own lips up. "That _is _quite horrible."

Sonic closes his eyes, relaxing slightly. "Now you understand."

Tails feels a little better, seeing as Sonic was still up to his old jokes. A thought crosses him, then, thinking about the possibility of Eggman coming back for more.

"Hey Sonic?"

The hedgehog opens one eye, an ear flicking up to give him his full attention. "Hm?"

Tails takes in a breath before he speaks, feeling nervous for some random reason. "Can I ask you to promise me one more thing?"

Sonic opens both eyes now, raising a brow. "What's that?"

Tails sighs, questioning his anxiety. "Can you promise that...no matter how bad it might get...to always stay like this?"

Sonic blinks a few times, looking puzzled. "W...What?"

"I mean," the fox tries, looking away as he thought about his words. "...I don't know what Eggman is doing, or what he plans to do with you, but...I just don't want to see you...I don't know…"

It starts to settle on him what the fox is trying to say.

"Tails…" Sonic cuts him off, anxiety filling him up quickly. "Tails, I would never change like that," he says, making the kit look back down at him. "Eggman can throw whatever he wants at me, but that's only gonna make kicking his but so much better at the end, you know?" He tries to sound lighthearted and upbeat, but sincere at the same time. "Why would you think I would change?"

"I…" the fox starts, before looking away again. "I don't know...I just worry about you is all. You don't deserve anything he does to you, and it isn't fair. I don't like sitting here not able to do anything to help. I just don't…" He has to stop, feeling his eyes burn. He was always like this. The _thought _of losing Sonic or of him getting hurt always made him cry. _Seeing _it always put him into shock. Sonic was more than his hero...he was his family.

Sonic can feel the worry and fear coming off the kit in waves, and has to do something about it. He carefully pushes himself up, holding back the pain with gritted teeth. He turns and reaches for his brother, pulling him into a hug.

"It's gonna be okay, buddy," Sonic says softly, letting Tails curl into his lap. "I've been through way worse than anything Eggman's ever done or could do. I mean, I've fought genies and defeated two gods, and one of them was made out of water!" He pulls back to wipe at the kids tears, the two meeting eyes as the older of them smiles gently. "Trust me, Perfect Chaos was way scarier than ol' Egghead, and definitely more dangerous."

Tails can't help but smile back, helping Sonic wipe at his face and tears. "H-Heh, yeah, that's true."

"You don't have to worry, buddy," Sonic says, lightly grabbing the sides of the kid's face and forcing him to look up at him. "Eggman's not gonna hurt me enough to change who I am. The only thing that changes about me is how much stronger I am after."

The fox kid nods. "Y-Yeah, you're right. I just worry…"

"Can you promise _me _something, Tails?"

The golden kid tilts his head slightly, looking confused. "Yeah?"

Sonic smiles warmly. "Can you promise me that, if I do end up getting hurt, and need a break, you'll stay strong for me?"

Sonic was…

Sonic was asking him...again...to do something for him. Something important.

His thoughts race back to the ARK battle, and watching a glass pod holding his older brother, shooting out into space and exploding as it hits the Earth's atmosphere. He remembers Sonic looking at him then just as he was now, telling him he was counting on him to finish what they started.

...and he had done it.

He feels strength fill him, and suddenly the burning in his eyes is gone and he's smiling fiercely, nodding and wiping away the rest of his tears. "I promise," he says, voice filled with fight.

Sonic grins, ruffling the bangs of the kid. "That's the spirit! I know that if there's anyone that can take over for me, it's you, buddy."

The fox feels nothing but pride from his words. "I learned from the best...and that's _not _Knuckles," he adds with a laugh.

Sonic laughs back. "Yeah, he's not cool enough to take my place."

Tails smiles, before tugging lightly on the hero's arm. "...but you do promise that you'll never change, right?"

The blue hero can only roll his eyes, but smiles nonetheless. "I promise, Tails, but you're worrying over nothing."

Sonic hoped that was true, at least.

The idea of him losing control to Dark Sonic and Eggman actually winning…it makes him shudder inside. No… He needed to fight it. He _had _to, especially now, for Tails.

He had to stay strong.

He just had to.

A sudden flash makes both mobians jump, turning around to see Eggman standing there, with two robots behind him. The human's hands are folded behind his back, and he has a smirk on his face, taking the brothers' glares as some sort of inside joke.

Tails gets up to Sonic's surprise, standing in between both the hedgehog and the doctor with a stubborn scowl on his face, crossing his arms.

"You're not taking him again," the fox boldly states, and Sonic has to facepalm himself. The last thing he wanted was for Tails to get into trouble…

Eggman only laughs. "Oh, of course. Whatever you say, rodent. I'll just leave you two alone now…" He grins, stroking one side of his mustache. "Honestly, do you realize how stupid you sound?"

Tails flinches and Sonic curses inwardly, pushing himself to his feet. He staggers, holding onto the wall behind him, gritting his teeth and scowling darkly at the mad human standing across from them.

"Don't you have better things to do?" he asks bitterly, the way someone would ask if they were in a hurry to get somewhere. "I'm surprised you haven't told the world you've captured us yet."

Eggman's grin only grows.

"That's something I would do, isn't it?" the doctor answers with a question, leaning from side to side. "Fortunately, the world already knows," he continues happily. "Your little town of Knothole has been reduced to nearly nothing, and your friends are scurrying around like little ants who've been caught in a trap."

Both heroes' eyes widen, before narrowing, their bodies tensing at the thought of Knothole being destroyed.

"You're lying," Sonic spits, sensing it with his Dark Chaos Energy. He forgot that was an ability he had, despite not wanting to use it. Eggman must realize this too, because his grin becomes a wickedly pleased smile.

"My, Sonic, you don't look so bright today," he jokes mockingly, calling him out in a way only Sonic would understand. He didn't continue, purposely teasing the Dark Energy without actually speaking about it.

Blackmail.

Sonic swallows, and the two enemies share a knowing look. Eggman was going to poke and prod and try and get him to snap on his own, taunting him to get him to go Dark. All the while, he would keep his secret from Tails, using it as a way to get Sonic to do whatever he wants.

The hedgehog bites the inside of his cheek, not sure what to do now. He really wasn't sure how to respond, but knows he should before Tails does, and so he cheekily -like he always is- cracks a weak smirk and says: "Maybe you should put some more lights in here."

It was so flat it made Tails stop from whatever it was he was going to angrily say and look back at him with a tired face.

Eggman chuckles under his breath, before turning to look back at the robot on his right.

"Grab him."

Both brothers' eyes widen and they immediately go into fight mode, Tails raising his fists with his namesakes twitching, Sonic pushing away from the wall to get into almost a runners stance.

They never stood a chance.

The robots disappeared in a flash of purple Chaos Energy, reappearing only a split second later, one in front of Tails, the other in front of Sonic. Tails is hit with a swinging arm from the first robot and thrown to the other side of the room, and the second robot grabs Sonic around his torso with just one of its hands, squeezing hard and making the hero cry out.

Tails looks up just as the robot holding Sonic disappears again.

"N-No!" he calls out, scrambling to get to his feet.

"If you don't want to cause him any more pain," the doctor grins at him, his voice low and threatening, "you'll sit there and do nothing."

"You-!" Tails exclaims, before gritting his teeth, stopping himself from lashing out.

As long as Eggman had Sonic, how much could he really do?

"Don't worry, I won't keep him for _too_ long," the doctor says, turning around to walk over to the door. The other robot follows after him, stepping through the door first. Eggman pauses, looking back with an almost inhuman grin. "Well, that depends on how talkative he is today, I suppose."

Tails watches him go, a dry ache in the back of his throat.

"Sonic…"

'_You'll sit there and do nothing.'_

No...he couldn't. He made a promise to Sonic.

He was going to get them out of there.

* * *

The girl in pink dusted herself off, pushing herself from a crouch into a stand. She takes a look around, her light green eyes darting from one broken robot to another.

A call from Knuckles about the situation forced her into action. Sonic and Tails had been kidnapped, and Knothole had been attacked. The entire Resistance was now at high alert, and so she stepped up to do her part and help in the search for any clues or information about where the two were at, or what Eggman was up to.

Carrying her hammer steady in one hand behind her back, Amy makes her way slowly and carefully through the abandoned base, knowing from past experience it might not be _completely _abandoned. Sometimes Eggman used his old bases to store extra materials and robots, so she had to expect anything at any turn.

She had almost considered bringing Cream and Big with her - Team Rose, but then quickly decided against it. If what Knuckles had said was true, this was a lot more dangerous than any of their previous missions. She wouldn't want any more of her friends to get hurt.

So, alone, she made her way through the base, stopping to look at any computers that may have something for her to use, something to tell her where Sonic and Tails would be. At least, she thought she was alone at first.

Then she heard footsteps at the end of the hall.

She ducks into a nearby doorway and listens intently, her pink ears swiveling to monitor the other person's movements. The footsteps were sharp and clicked, and almost sounded like...heels?

Deciding that waiting wasn't the best option, the girl lifts her hammer up, takes in a deep breath, then runs around the corner ready to attack.

"Amy?!"

She freezes and calls out in surprise as she comes face to face with Rouge, the white bat looking just as startled as she was.

"Rouge?"

The two girls stare at each other, before Amy slowly lowers her hammer and puts her face in her empty hand, sighing. "I thought you were Eggman or someone related."

Rouge, obviously offended, puts her hands on her hips and narrows her eyes at her. "You thought _I _was Eggman? Do I _sound _fat to you?"

Amy's eyes widen, and she puts her hands up in immediate defense. "No, of course not! I just didn't know who else to suspect!"

The white bat huffs, looking away. "You knew G.U.N. was looking through empty bases. You should have expected anyone."

The pink heroin gives her a helpless look, before shaking her head. "Okay, I'm sorry. I'm just on edge."

It's Rouge's turn to sigh now. "Everyone is," she admits, letting her hands fall from her hips to her sides, looking back at the younger girl with a calmer expression. "I can't believe he got them."

Amy looks down sadly, folding her hands behind her back. "I know. We all thought it was over, but he fooled all of us."

"Mm."

The girls go quiet for a moment, before Amy looks up, a more determined expression on her face. "Have you found anything here? I haven't found anything so far."

Rouge shakes her head. "No, I had a feeling this place was a bust. I guess it's time to move on."

Amy perks up a bit, taking a tiny step forward. "Can I come with you?"

The bat raises a brow, frowning slightly. "You want to come with me? Why?"

The hedgehog smiles back kindly. "I just figured it'd be easier if we teamed up. We can clear bases faster if two of us are looking together."

Rouge studies her carefully, taking in the others demeanor with some doubt. "Is it just because you don't want to be alone?"

Amy's eyes widen, before she huffs and crosses her arms irritably. "I wouldn't have come here by myself if that was the case!"

The agent only hums doubtfully, before rolling her eyes and shrugging. "Whatever you say. Fine, you can come with, but you have to follow my orders, do you understand?"

Amy gives her another annoyed look, but drops it. "Alright."

* * *

He's back in the room with the metal table.

His heart jumps just by seeing it, and when the robot holds him down against it, he feels sheer panic fill his chest and catch his breath. The robot wasn't chaining him to it yet, though. What was Eggman up to now?

The doctor walks in with the other robot, a bored expression on his face. He seemed to be thinking hard to himself, which unsettled Sonic more than when the man was talking. It meant Eggman was planning. It meant he was scheming.

He watches the doctor walk over to his computer, typing something in to unlock it, before turning around and facing him, face still unreadable.

"The Chaos Emeralds," he starts, monotone. "I have four. Two are held by G.U.N.," he pauses, watching Sonic's brows furrow. "...the last one has been missing for quite some time. Tell me, hedgehog. Where is it?"

Sonic lets out a huff. "Do you seriously need it? I thought turning me Dark was the big plan."

The corners of the human's mouth twitch in a small smirk, before settling back into a bored expression. "It wasn't my only plan, rodent. Believe it or not, you're just a small part of it."

Sonic rolls his eyes, those green orbs settling back on the doctor with heavy doubt. "You know I can sense you lying, right?"

Again the human smirks. "So you're using your Dark energy?"

The hedgehog only glares back. "I'm not afraid of it."

That smirk grew into a sinister grin. "Aren't you?" he asks lightly. "So you wouldn't mind me letting your fox friend know about it?"

Sonic goes quiet, gritting his teeth and trying not to cower under the doctor's words. "You said you wouldn't."

"Did I?" Eggman walks calmly over, leaning forward to get a better look at the hero's sour face. "I told you I would if you didn't cooperate, but I never said I wouldn't even if you did."

Emerald eyes widen, before narrowing sharply. "What's the point of me listening to you?!"

"You still haven't answered my question, hedgehog," Eggman says, ignoring his outburst. "Where's the last Chaos Emerald? You've hidden it somewhere, now you'll tell me where."

Sonic shakes his head. "I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't even know it was missing."

The human sighs, turning and shaking his head. "You always have to make things so difficult…" He looks to the robot, nodding his head at it.

Sonic yelps as he's suddenly pulled away from the table, carried over to the other side of the room where a metal structure sat by itself in the middle of an empty space. It was about four feet tall, rectangular shaped, with a large opening in the top, enough to see…

_Water_.

The moment he saw it, all hell broke loose.

The hero immediately started clawing at the large robot hand holding him, pupils shrunk in fear. "Eggman! I'm telling you the truth! I don't know where it is!"

The doctor only nods at the robot again.

He barely had a chance to hold his breath before he was being dunked in.

His back hits the bottom of the tub so hard it makes him choke, nearly losing the air in his lungs in the process. His vision hazes, surrounded by nothing but dark water, being held in place by the robot. He kicked and tore at the robot and thrashed violently, his mind swirling sporadically.

The water was cold, and heavy, and he couldn't breath-_couldn't_ _breathe. _He's lifted up slightly and then slammed back down again, and this time it's enough to make him cry out and lose his breath in the process.

Water choked him, and his throat and lungs burned. The fear in his heart amplified almost too quickly, and before he knew it a sickly feeling crept into him, and a burst of dark blue energy exploded off of him, water being forced to push back and give him some air to breathe.

The robot lifts him out then, and Sonic chokes and spits out the horrid liquid, fur a midnight blue, and his normally bright emerald eyes a dark forest green. Whimpers and whines escaped from his throat as he struggled to breathe again, his eyesight blurry and his ears ringing loudly, almost deafening.

He's given a minute, before Eggman steps in front of him and catches his eye.

"You almost went Dark already," the human says, sounding almost surprised.

The realization dawns on him, and Sonic's eyes widen and he again struggles to get out of the robot's hands, his fur turning back to its normal cobalt color. "Let me go!"

"Tell me where the Chaos Emerald is," the doctor retaliates, earning himself a fierce glare in return.

"I don't know where it is!" Sonic cries out, his quills bristling, voice cracking.

Eggman only shakes his head. "Dunk him back in."

Pure terror fell over Sonic's face, his muzzle paling. "W-Wait no! _Please _I'm telling you the truth!"

The robot holds him over the water's surface, and Sonic screams out.

"_Eggman please! Please you have to believe me! I don't know! I don't know!"_

Eggman studies him, meeting those frightened eyes with his own black and red ones. Sonic is trembling violently, teeth chattering from both fear and the cold water dripping from his fur. A minute seems to pass, a long, agonizing minute of silence and uncertainty, before the doctor turns around and walks to his computer.

"Do it."

Sonic barely has a moment to register what that meant before he's being dropped into the tub.

His back hits the bottom, the robot not holding on to him anymore, and he kicks out and flails around, trying to get a grip on the bottom of the deep tub. When he finally does he goes to push himself up, but before he can break the surface, something beyond horrifying happens.

A metal cover is placed over the top of the tub.

On his toes, he reaches for it, trying with all his might to push it off. He only had a few precious inches of space for air, and he was barely tall enough to get a good enough grip on the cover. It was heavy, and wouldn't budge no matter how hard he tried to push.

He was trapped.

It was pitch black, water heavy and pushing him around. He stares weakly up at the cover, his mouth and nose barely able to keep above the water. He can barely hear how loud he was breathing over the pounding of his heart in his own ears, his mind closing in on itself as the situation fell on him like a ton of heavy bricks.

He was delirious for only a few seconds more, before he lost it and started screaming.

* * *

He's lost count of the minutes that went by since Eggman took Sonic.

The fox gave up pacing who knew how long ago at this point, sitting in the back corner of the room with his namesakes wrapped around himself. All he could think about was what Eggman was doing, if Sonic was okay, how they could get out of here.

Then the door opens, cutting off his erratic thoughts, and Eggman steps through. Behind Eggman, was a robot carrying an unconscious Sonic.

"Sonic!" Tails bolts to his feet, taking a few steps forward.

"Since he was so uncooperative," the human says, cutting off anything the fox had wanted to say. "I'm going to ask you, in the hopes of saving all of us some trouble."

Tails turns and glares at him, fists clenched to his sides, body shaking in anger.

"If you know where he hid the last Chaos Emerald, you would be smart to tell me where it is," the doctor said, stroking his mustache. "Otherwise, I'll have to resort to more _drastic _measures."

The last Chaos Emerald? Tails's brows furrow as he tries to think back to the last time he'd heard of it. Did Sonic hide it? If he did, it was a while ago, as the fox couldn't remember exactly what-

His train of thought crashes, his eyes widening slightly.

Sonic _did _hide the emerald. He hid it in case a situation arose where Eggman tried to collect all seven again. A situation like this. He hadn't told him where, though, he had hid the emerald. He didn't want anyone to know in case the doctor tried to get it out of them.

His sky blue eyes fall on his unconscious brother, hanging limply from the robot's hands. How did Eggman know Sonic hid it? Did he even actually know, or was this another trick to get him to admit something?

Tails remembers his promise, then looks to Eggman with a fierce frown. "Sonic doesn't tell me what he does with the emeralds, just in case of situations like this. If he did hide it, I didn't know about it, and I wouldn't know where it is."

Eggman stares back, a slow smirk curving his lips. "You've gotten smarter, fox. Unfortunately, this only means I'll have to get it out of the two of you another way."

He turns around, and the robot throws Sonic on the ground, before the two walk out and the door slams shut. Tails runs over to his brother, rolling him over and pulling him into his arms.

"I'm so sorry, Sonic," he whispers, feeling tears sting at his eyes. "I'm gonna get you out of here." He pulls away, watching the pained expression on Sonic's sleeping face soften somewhat.

"_No matter what."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sonic movie comes out, why not some dark fanfiction too?


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes/Q&A -
> 
> This was supposed to be updated yesterday, but it's a little longer than the other chapters, so it took us a little longer to get it finished.
> 
> Thank you, thank you, thank you! The reviews and support I got with the last update was crazy. I couldn't believe it. Just to answer a couple questions:
> 
> Q: Why does Sonic fear his Dark form?
> 
> A: I'm following the Sonic X Universe, with a bunch of Archie Comic references. In the show, he doesn't seem to have much control over his form, so I took that, and made it so he has no control whatsoever over it. He fears it because he can't control it, and he's worried Eggman is right: that he'll lose control and destroy everything.
> 
> Q: What happened in the last version of this story, and what's different?
> 
> A: In the last story, without spoiling too much, Sonic and Tails are captured, Sonic is tortured for information for a plan Eggman hasn't explained yet, and eventually the two escape. Eggman has inserted Dark Chaos Energy directly into Sonic, wanting him to snap and go Dark to destroy the world for him. Sonic and Tails have to travel through the unknown land they are in to try and get home, while their friends are desperate to find them and figure out what Eggman's plan is. Sonic is severely injured and isn't healing, and Tails has to step up and be the big brother for once. It was mostly a "Sonic conquering his demons (ah ah ah), and Tails being there to help him" story. This time, I'm changing up some of the future plot, and adding a lot of context and events to the story I had planned way back when I first wrote it. I had honestly rushed it, didn't like how it ended, how I started writing it, and decided it deserved more than what I had given it. This is its reboot. If you're worried that it isn't going to be as good, don't worry. It'll be better.
> 
> If you guys have any other questions, please feel free to ask! Reviews and thoughts are fun to read, and your support is of course greatly appreciated. Warning, this chapter is slightly darker than the others so far, so be on the lookout. Next chapter has some stuff in it, but it's not as bad as the other chapters or this one, I promise. I did say I wasn't going to hold back this time around, and this story is definitely a dark one. Of course, a lot of you wouldn't be here if it wasn't. You know me by now I'm sure.
> 
> On a side note, Happy Leap Day!
> 
> -AnonymouxSonic

***Warnings Apply For This Chapter. For More Information, Read The Warnings Section On The First Chapter Of This Story.***

**Chapter Five**

_Some time ago…_

_The rain was relentless._

_It had come almost completely out of nowhere, Storm Season at its fullest tilt, reigning down like an avenging God on the land and its people. The little blue hedgehog huffed as he peered out from under the red wing of the large biplane, holding his arms and shivering. He missed the indoors. Missed the warmth of a heater, missed the softness of blankets. The pat on the head or scratch between blue ears…_

_He hiccups and shakes the thoughts from his head, pushing them deep down. Not again, he told himself without thought. He couldn't break down again._

_The wind was getting heavier, and he feared he would lose his beloved plane if it kept up. The wind could easily throw it across the forest clearing, or a tree could fly into it…_

_Okay, he was pretty sure he was far enough away from the trees for that to happen, but his young, childish mind convinced him to at least be cautious. Flying trees could definitely happen, he decided._

_A loud crackle of thunder and flash of lighting nearby made him silently cry out, quills standing upright and fur sticking up all over his body. He really needed to find a better shelter...but…_

_He didn't want to leave his plane. What if someone came and took it? What if it was damaged? He wanted to stay as close to it as he could. It was all he had. The only piece of home he had left…_

_His bright blue eyes turn and scan the clearing around him, looking out for any kind of cave, ditch, or dry spot to burrow. Those crystal irises fall on a fairly large tree right across from him, a large, gaping hole in the bottom of it._

_Perfect._

_He would be able to see the plane, and run to it if it started to blow away or something. He looks up at the sky, waiting for the next strike of lightning, silently counting in his head._

_The moment the bolt of pure energy shot across the sky, he took off, torn sneakers tearing through the mud and sand to get to the tree. He makes it in seconds, shaking and panting slightly from the cold of the water. He shivers, taking a look inside the tree. It was just a tiny space, but large enough for him, and there were even dry leaves in the back of it. He sighs, relieved, and crawls over, curling himself into a tight ball, quills wrapping protectively around himself. He watches his plane from his position, not taking his eyes off of it for a second._

_He dries overnight, his plane untouched, but he doesn't sleep._

_The rain was just as relentless in the morning._

* * *

"Sonic?"

The soft call of his name stirred him from his sleep, and he tries his hardest to squint open his eyes, but is unable to. His eyelids felt so heavy, his head was foggy, and he could feel the pain from his hip and his leg coming back to him, slowly and methodically. He groans, which is all he can do, letting his head roll to the side, his eyes giving up and falling shut again.

"Hey, Sonic," he hears again, and this time he feels a warm, soft hand on the side of his face, gently turning his head back up. He tries his eyes again, but for the life of him, he just can't get them open. "It's okay," he hears. "Take it easy, Sonic."

'_Then let me sleep,' _he wanted to say, but even if his dry mouth and strangled voice wanted to work, he knew better. He had no idea how long he was out this time, but if Tails was trying to wake him up, then he was way overdue to do so.

"I have water for you," he hears the fox say, and the thought of _water_, no matter how dry his throat was, made him tense and a weak sound leave him, accidentally revealing the biggest cause of his concern, or what Eggman did to him.

Tails quiets with this, obviously thinking it over. The kid was smart, it wouldn't take him long to connect the dots.

"Sonic, did he…?"

Too smart.

The hedgehog is suddenly glad his eyes wouldn't open, and he turns his head and buries his face in what he assumed was Tails's fur, breathing in deeply and thanking Gaia for air. His lack of answer confirmed Tails's thoughts, and he feels the fox stiffen slightly, feels a spark of fear and a wave of...anger...radiate off of his body in waves. He could feel it with his Dark energy, feel it deep in the fox's heart…

He tries to open his mouth again to say something, but the only thing he does is cough weakly. His throat hurt, his body hurt. His head was starting to hurt, and the more and more conscious he got, the more the pain in his body hurt.

"Hey, easy," Tails says again, slowly helping Sonic sit up slightly, propping him up against his one arm to hold him, watching those blue quills flatten instinctively to not hurt him. Another weak groan leaves fawn lips, dark lashes fluttering as their owner attempted to open them again.

Cloudy, glossy green irises were slightly revealed, the hedgehog finally finding the strength to take control over his body again. Tails smiles as best he can, meeting his brother's eyes with his own glossy blue ones.

"Morning," he says softly.

Sonic opens his mouth again, but can only cough in answer. Tails reaches for the small tin cup of water, holding it up to his friend's mouth. "You need to drink this," he says.

The hero takes one look at it and sucks in a deep breath, looking away with a pale muzzle. Tails goes to push him again, when he notices something. He's barely able to get Sonic on to his hands and knees before the hedgehog is throwing up on the floor, coughing and sputtering and dry heaving, and all that came up was water, if only little bits of it.

_"Fuuughck," _the hero groans out, his hands balling into fists as he tries to get a hold of himself. His body is shaking almost violently, and he could feel Dark Chaos threatening to seep out through his fur. He holds onto it, not letting it escape, focusing on his breathing and the feel of Tails rubbing his back.

He hates how he probably looks, and it dawns on him that he most likely looked like the roadkill Eggman was making him out to be. Open wounds, both dried and fresh blood all over him, dirt, ash, ruffled fur, white face, red eyes, drool he wiped with the back of his trembling hand…

He feels a hand on his chest, and slowly he's being pulled over to Tails, who forces him to look up and open his mouth, putting the tin cup to his lips.

"Just drink it, Sonic. _Slowly_."

He can't help the whine that leaves him, but he does as he's told, letting the water fall into his mouth and drinking it before he let himself register what it was that was going down his throat. It was stupid, that he'd be afraid of the water in such a tiny cup, but just seeing it, _tasting_ it, forced him to remember the cold, metal coffin Eggman had locked him in, letting him struggle and scream and panic, surrounded by nothing but darkness and-

"Sonic, stop," he hears in his ear, the cup being taken from him. "Sonic, _hey_."

He barely hears him. He suddenly can't breathe again, his mind going back to that place, that damn room with the dim lights, metal table, metal box filled with water. Eggman was going to come back. He was going to put him in there again, or something worse. He didn't want to go back. _Chaos_ he didn't want to go _back_.

"Sonic, look at me," he hears, feeling his muzzle being grabbed and his head being forced to turn and meet sky colored eyes. He suddenly hears his own breathing -fast, his heartbeat erratic- and realizes he was slipping. He was having a panic attack.

He whines again as he focuses on his brother, who started whispering softly to him, holding him close and petting through his fur, nuzzling him and telling him to just breathe, it was okay.

He didn't remember the last time he had a panic attack, but he remembered it also had something to do with water. Tails had been there, just as he was now, soothing him through it.

...it felt nice to be coddled.

Sonic focuses on calming himself down, listening to Tails and letting himself be comforted for once in his life. It's only when he's breathing normally, and his mind settles again, does the guilt crash into him, and before Tails can even look at him, he cracks.

"S-Sorry," he quickly forces out, feeling terrible for having broken down in front of his little brother. _He_ was supposed to be the one protecting, not the other way around.

Tails leans back, smiling as if he knew how Sonic was going to react. "Don't start with that," he murmurs, wiping away tears Sonic didn't even know he had.

When had he started crying? The hedgehog feels the streaks on his muzzle, starting to wipe at them quickly, embarrassment hitting him like a G.U.N. truck.

"Hey, it's okay," Tails says again, pushing Sonic's hands away. "It's okay, stop fussing."

"I-" the hedgehog tries, but cuts himself off with a choked sob, his tears reappearing instantly. "D-Dammit," he whimpers.

Tails pulls him forward into a tight hug, letting the hero sort out his emotions while he held him.

He didn't know what Eggman did exactly, but it was bad, and it was _water_. He can't help but be angry, _livid_ even, at this thought. It hurt and it tore at him to know the doctor had used Sonic's biggest phobia against him, driving him into a state of such panic he broke down again. He hasn't seen Sonic truly panic about water in _years_, making some progress over the days where he could finally get Sonic in water that at least went up to his knees, or watching Sonic dive headfirst into the ocean to save a friend, no matter what the cost.

All that progress was so completely screwed, that just trying to drink a cup of water was enough to send Sonic spiraling back down to square one, back into the same, frightful kid that would scream at the top of his lungs if he thought he was in any kind of danger from water whatsoever.

Little to say, Tails was pissed.

He held that anger, though, not wanting Sonic to see it. Instead he focused all his love and care for his brother on him, holding him tightly to his chest and wrapping his namesakes around them both.

It seemed Eggman knew Sonic was awake.

The door to their cell opens, and the way Sonic flinches makes Tails all the more protective. He feels fingers tighten into him, Sonic's breath catching in his throat, face hidden in the crook of his neck.

Sonic was scared. _Very_ scared.

"Is the rodent ready to talk?" is the first thing out of Eggman's mouth, and Tails glares all of hell at him in return. The doctor stands in front of two of his robots, the door shutting securely behind him, and the man puts his hands behind his back, studying the two mobians carefully.

"We have nothing to say!" Tails yells, his anger revealing itself in his voice, holding Sonic closer to him. "Go away!"

"_Ooh_, scary," the doctor coos, grinning from ear to ear. "I feel _so_ threatened."

"We don't know where the emerald is, so leave us alone!" the fox fights, ears pinning back. He feels Sonic's hands in his fur clench, telling him to stop silently. He listens, if only for his brother's sake.

"You might not know where it is," the human laughs, "but he does. He's a _devious_ liar," he says, his eyes falling on Sonic himself. "Such a great actor, too. Almost had me convinced, except…" he pauses, both Sonic and Tails tensing. He watches them for a second, before grinning. "My robots thrive on Dark Chaos Energy, which can sense and read any lie, no matter how convincing it may be."

Tails's eyes widen, and Sonic freezes up, his own eyes snapping open.

_'No...no way…' _he thinks, his mind crashing into itself. Why didn't he think of that? He would have been caught no matter what?

...but Eggman was telling the truth, he could sense it himself, through his _own_ energy.

This was _bad._

He feels Tails tug on him, asking him, but he barely registers it.

"Aww," the mad doctor continues gleefully. "You don't look so good, Sonic. I'll tell you what," he offers, smirking at the scowl Tails sends his way. "You tell me where it is now, and I won't take you back to my lab."

"You're l-lying," Sonic chokes out, not needing to sense it to know it. Tails's grip on him tightens.

Eggman just laughs. He laughs long and hard, as if Sonic had just made some big joke.

"Stop!" Tails exclaims, shaking from anger. "Just leave him alone!"

Eggman calms down, fixing his glasses and smirking darkly. "You know, it almost looks like you two have switched roles. Adorable."

Again Sonic flinches, but his eyes narrow. "I'll still kick your ass," he threatens.

Eggman laughs again. "After that little episode you just had?" he questions, watching their eyes widen in dark amusement. "I highly doubt that."

Eggman had surveillance in here? Tails couldn't believe it. He had searched every inch of their room, and the only thing that was there that stuck out was the door and the…

The light.

He looks up, eyes wide. Was that possible?

"You certainly _have_ gotten smarter, fox," Eggman addresses him. "Planning on taking the rodent's place when he's gone?"

Tails looks back at the doctor, glaring profusely. "Sonic isn't going anywhere!"

"If I do," the doctor says, smirk fading and a frown taking its place, "he will, too. If not by my hands, but by the people that call him their hero."

"What are you talking about?!" Tails exclaims, making Sonic tug on him again. The fox ignores him this time. "There's no one that would turn their back on Sonic!"

A slow grin grows back on the doctor's face. "Power that people don't understand or need will be hunted. Why do you think G.U.N. has Shadow in their grasp? To contain him when I'm eliminated. They'll go after your friend there, or maybe…" he drags, his eyes falling on Sonic's fearful green ones. "...his very so-called friends will be the ones to do it."

"I would _never-" _Tails starts, but is cut off by a laugh from the mad human.

"Oh, fox," Eggman grins. "You'll be the _first."_

Tails blinks in confusion, not understanding. Sonic however flinches again, his wavering eyes on Eggman and his body tense. The fox realizes it's just a ploy to upset Sonic, and huffs. "Sonic isn't just my friend," he says sternly. "He's my brother, my mother, my father. He's my whole _family_. I would _never _turn my back on him, and if the world does, they'll be my enemy, too."

Sonic opens his mouth, completely taken aback. Tails was speaking from his heart, and he felt it.

"Tails," he whispers. The fox smiles at him.

"I promise."

Eggman watches with narrowed eyes. Tails turns back to him, glaring with a vengeance.

"How sweet," the doctor drawls. "You shouldn't make promises you won't keep, however." He turns around, the door opening for him, and turns to one of his robots.

"Grab him."

"No!" Tails exclaims. He's suddenly tugged on by Sonic, who points to the door.

_"Go!"_

Tails flurries his namesakes and lifts Sonic up into his arms, dodging the robots that came after them. Eggman almost doesn't realize what was happening, until a blur of yellow and blue is flying passed him, knocking him into the wall.

"Where?!" Tails calls, and Sonic shakes his head.

"I don't know, just _go!"_

They fly down the hall and find a lift leading up, and the fox flies them up it, eyes narrowed in determination. They get out at the top, barreling down another hallway, and now there's sirens going off. Panels in the sides of the walls open, robots stepping out and holding up their guns, attempting to aim and fire at the pair. They turn down another hall, and then left through another.

This hall was bigger, and at the end of it was a large door leading outside, robots flying in and out.

"Tails, there!" Sonic points out, and the fox nods. He flies straight for it, dodging the oncoming assault of lasers and robots.

He jumps to the right to avoid a particular laser, and it's his biggest mistake.

He doesn't see the robot Chaos Control next to them until a large hand smashes into them.

* * *

"_Let him go!"_ Tails screams, kicking and struggling to get out of the robot's hold. Sonic could barely fight, but he was trying at least, both being dragged into the lab room where Eggman sat patiently waiting in his chair. Tails is carried to the back of the room, thrown headfirst into a glass pod, the casing closing around him.

"Tails!" Sonic calls out, wincing when he watches the kit's head slam into the side of the glass. The fox groans and sits up, just in time to watch the casing close, trapping him. He scrambles to his feet, fists slamming on the pod, sky blue eyes wide and frightened. Sonic feels a nerve pull, and he looks over to Eggman as the robot holds him still, his green eyes on fire. "Leave him out of this!"

Eggman, sitting comfortably in his chair, only frowns at him.

"Why should I? I need to teach a lesson to both of you, now don't I?" he asks, making Sonic squirm and try to break free again.

"You promised you wouldn't hurt him!" the hedgehog argues back, quills attempting to shred the robot behind him. Eggman watches him, watches the way those sharp spines left only light scratches on his machine.

What a shame.

"Oh, of course," Eggman smirks then, standing up. "I am a man of my word," he practically purrs. "I intend to keep that promise, don't worry. However," he eyes the fox watching them with both fear and anger. "That just means you'll have to take twice the punishment, rodent."

"No, don't!" Tails calls, slamming on the pod again. _"Leave him alone!"_

Sonic clenches his teeth, head spiraling. This was _so _bad, so very bad. He watches Eggman hold up a remote towards the pod Tails is in, and suddenly Tails's calls are muted. The doctor smirks.

"He can't hear you, fox, so save your breath."

Tails pauses, watching with broken eyes. Eggman turns back to Sonic, walking in front of him and kneeling down, grabbing his fawn muzzle and grinning at the wince he receives from it. Sonic glares up at him, but it was obvious he was cracking, fear shining in those now dim emerald eyes. Eggman leans forward to a blue ear, and whispers softly:

"_He's watching. Don't disappoint him, Dark Sonic."_

Sonic freezes from head to toe, looking away as Eggman let's go of him, ears falling back.

Tails watches this, watches Sonic shrink away in a way he's never seen before.

Eggman stands to full height, eyeing his robot again. "Why, you've scratched up my beautiful robot, rodent. Can't have that happen again."

Sonic looks up quickly, eyes dilating as the man turns to said robot, grinning. "Let's make sure he can't do that again, shall we?"

Both Sonic and Tails register that at the same time.

"_No!"_ Tails screams out, despite no one being able to hear him. He pounds on the glass, watching as the robot lifts up a now panicking Sonic, slamming him down face first into the table.

Sonic's breath leaves him in a sharp, high pitched cry as his body hits the table, the other robot coming over to assist in holding him down. They don't strap him down this time - they don't _need _to, and a third robot that has been standing in the back of the room walks over, its hand changing and shifting into a small schematic that looked like a bunch miniature saws, all spinning around loudly.

His heart dropped.

"No...no, no _no no_…" he whimpers.

He can hear the pounding of glass as Tails tries to break out, failing miserably.

He can't go Dark. _He can't go Dark._

"Eggman," he tries, voice strained. "Eggman don't," he _really _tries.

The doctor only chuckles.

The robot leans over, and Sonic's scream is drowned out by the sound of the razer going through his quills.

Tails collapses, unable to do anything but watch, mouth dropped open, eyes wide and glossy. Sonic was screaming, ears flattened against his skull, as his quills are shredded off, purposely slow, shaving way too far down to be safe. He could see blood from here, and he whimpers as he watches them practically mutilate his brother.

Most mobian hedgehogs couldn't live without their quills. It was their biggest defense, and their biggest comfort. Getting them trimmed was a hassle, but getting them completely buzzed off? That was pain unimaginable to them. Cutting them down like that was like cutting a dog's claws too short, accidentally hurting them and making them bleed in the process. Only difference, with Sonic's quills, was that they were a lot bigger, and a lot more dangerous to cut. Buzzing a hedgehog's quills on Mobius, was considered a _very _criminal act, and could lead to times in prison about the same as a person hitting someone else with a car. The pain, the damage caused by it, was just unforgiving.

Sonic's pained screams and pleas were only proving this factor obvious.

White gloved fingers clawed at the table he was forced on, his legs weakly kicking and his head turning, trying to get them off of him, to stop them somehow. Blue quills flew away everywhere, on the table and all over the floor, some with blood on them. _Many_ with blood on them.

"_AHHSS-STOP!" _Sonic cries out, and he sounds so miserable it hurts Tails. _"EGGMAN PLEASE!"_

The doctor himself just sits back in his chair, watching with no visible emotion on his face. Not even a twitch of lips. Completely expressionless.

By the time the razer turned off, Tails silently wished he was deaf. The only sounds in the room were Sonic's pained whines and whimpers, and the robots as they let go of him, standing back to watch the hero weakly writhe on the table.

Sonic's quills were so short, about as short as they were when he was just a kid. That wasn't good, Tails thinks helplessly. They had even cut his back spines, the little wings nothing more than short stubs.

The hedgehog himself is a mess on the table, choked sobs leaving him without his control, his body shaking violently, and Tails just wants to be there.

A new feeling, one much more _ominous_, makes him want to do something just _terrible _to Eggman. When the doctor himself looks over at the fox and meets his eyes, Tails is staring at him with such a murderous expression, the doctor has to raise a brow in surprise.

Tails has never looked _that _menacing before. In fact, he's never looked menacing to begin with. Now, he looked like an angry kitsune god, ready to strike him down with the fury of Chaos itself.

Hell, the kid might go Dark before _Sonic _does, he thinks to himself as he stands.

He ignores this thought as he walks around the table, observing the damage to Sonic's quills. They looked _bad_, might never grow back right, he thinks. "Look at this mess," he says, as if concerned for his lab room's cleanliness. He steps aside, and looks to one of the robots. "Hose this up, will you?"

"What?!" Tails calls, jumping to his feet. The robot Eggman addressed, lifted up one of its arms, and a sudden, powerful stream of _water_, shoots out and hits Sonic so hard, he flies off the table.

Sonic cries out as he hits the floor, but doesn't get much time to react more, as the robot steps around the table and continues shooting him with water, an endless stream as powerful as a power washer.

"_Stop!"_ Tails yells, despite knowing it was pointless. He couldn't help it, though.

This was all his fault, he thinks.

If he had just gotten them out of there, if he had just been a little faster, a little more observant, none of this would have happened.

The robot continues spraying the weakly flailing hedgehog on the floor until it runs out of water, then steps back, out of the doctor's way as he approaches, lightly kicking the hero with the toe of his boot.

"Enjoy your shower, hedgehog?"

Sonic is violently trembling, his body spasming on the floor as he tries to get a grip beneath him. A weak, low whine leaves him, making Tails's ears flatten.

'_Oh, Sonic, just hang on,' _he wishes he could tell him, wishes he could be there, wishes he could just pick him up and hide him from it all.

"Now then," Eggman suddenly exclaims, clapping his hands together as if this was just nothing out of the ordinary from his day, as if everything was perfectly fine. "Let's move on to what we _actually _had planned for today," he announces.

"W-What," Tails breathes, before a horrid realization dawns on him.

That was just their punishment for trying to escape. _That wasn't what Eggman planned to do today..._

Sonic looks as if he's come to this same realization, his breathing quickening and his body shrinking on itself. He looks like he's having a hard time moving, hard time keeping balance, and Tails realizes Sonic _really doesn't know what to do_ with his quills gone. His initial instinct would be to curl up in a spikey ball, but...he can't. He looks like he's cracking apart, unable to think straight or focus on anything other than fear and panic.

'_He's going to have another attack,' _Tails realizes, and he starts pounding on the glass again, calling out, trying to get Eggman's attention somehow. The doctor pointedly ignores him, ordering the robot to put Sonic back on the table.

_"N-No!" _Sonic cries out, voice hoarse, whatever was left of his resolve slipping away. He falls on his back as the robot approaches him, crying out in pain, before his eyes snap open, pupils shrunk to almost nothing, trying to back away from the hand reaching for him. It's futile, and the robot picks him up and carries him to the table, the other robot assisting in restraining him to it, chaining down his wrists and ankles.

_"N-No! No no no! Eggman no!" _he calls out, as if he hoped the man would listen. Even Tails knew it was inevitable, but continued to pound on the glass, praying to whatever Gods would listen to just stop this.

The golden teen watches as Eggman leans down to Sonic's ear again, saying something else to only him.

_"You're slipping, hero," _the doctor whispers. Sonic froze as he continued. _"If you don't want to go Dark in front of him, you'll be a good boy and answer my questions."_

He pulls away then, turning to the tall machine the robots rolled over to him, grabbing some things from it.

The machine was almost as tall as Eggman, glowing with a light that could only be Chaos. As the doctor turns, holding wires in his hand, Tails confirms it. A dark blue Chaos Emerald sat in the machine, glowing happily with no knowledge of what it was about to be used for.

The wires are connected to small circular pads, which the doctor connected to Sonic's chest, his legs, and his sides. Tails's brows furrow. What is he up to?

The mad human then grabs something from one of his robots, which is revealed to be a black piece of cloth that he ties around the hedgehog's eyes. Sonic whines, but isn't struggling much anymore. He knows there's no point.

With that, the doctor sits in a chair beside the table and the machine, holding a clipboard in his hands, and Tails scowls at him. The man chuckles.

"Now, hedgehog," he starts, sounding like a school teacher, "I'm going to ask you some questions, and you _will _answer me," he says, voice lowering with each word, making it clear the hero didn't have any choice in the matter.

Sonic grits his teeth, expecting this. Of course the doctor was going to find a way to get him to talk...but what was worse than water? He feels the wires on him, and can feel the draw of a Chaos Emerald next to him. Wires and a Chaos Emerald? He swallowed nervously.

Eggman watches Sonic bite his bottom lip, then leans back comfortably. "Angel Island," he starts. "Where is it?"

Sonic swallows. After the Master Emerald again? "I-I don't-" he starts, but is cut off.

Electricity.

The machine whirred to life, and suddenly bolts of electricity were shooting through him, making him arch and scream.

Tails feels himself collapse again. Eggman was going to kill him at this point. He wasn't sure how much more Sonic could handle, but if Eggman kept going, Sonic was going to die.

He felt _himself _beginning to panic.

The machine stops, and Sonic lets out a choked whine, falling limply on the table, panting heavily. It reminded him of the time Eggman had trapped him in his Super from, and tore apart the planet to release Dark Gaia. The electricity was almost just as bad, this time powered by a Chaos Emerald.

"I'll ask again," the doctor says cheerfully. "_Where_ is Angel Island?"

When Sonic opens his mouth, then closes it quickly, the machine turns on again.

It was stronger, now. Sonic couldn't stop himself from screaming, couldn't stop the onslaught of negative Chaos Energy surge through him, wanting him to just give in. If the pain didn't stop, he knew he was going to go Dark.

It _didn't _stop. The machine continued to electrocute him, burning through fur to skin, the hedgehog wired to it sobbing and screaming for it to stop, _just stop._

It doesn't, though, and he knows he has to say it, knows he has to just_ say it._

"_Chun-nan!" _Sonic screams out, unable to stop himself once he started. Tails, watching from inside the glass pod, almost sighs in relief. _"It's in Chun-nan, just stop! Stop!"_

The machine shuts off, and Sonic sobs, his body a shaking mess. Whimpers and whines were leaving him with every hard breath he took, his fists clenching and opening, legs weakly kicking at their restraints. The cloth over his eyes is wet from tears as they escaped and slid down his muzzle, and he sniffles and chokes on his own breath, wanting it all to just be over.

"Where does he hide the emerald when it isn't in its alter?" Eggman asks, frowning deeply.

"Ah-hah-_please,"_ Sonic begs out, but doesn't get to say anything else when the machine once again turns on.

Tails flinches, a whine leaving his own lips as he watches. If Sonic told Eggman where the Master Emerald was, he would go after it, and Knuckles didn't have anyone to warn him.

"_D-Desert Palace!" _Sonic screams out. The machine doesn't stop, and the hero breaks even more. _"Outside the temple! Stop! Eggman please!"_

The machine finally turns off, and the doctor smirks, before asking his next question.

"Where is the supposed weak spot in Mobotropolis's energy dome?" he asks with a grin.

Sonic just sobs, ears flattened to his skull. "I-It's u-p...It's u-u…" he tries, but his voice won't work. He can't stop his quick breaths, his mind spinning farther and farther down. The weak spot was something the Royals of Mobotropolis had been trying to fix for months. Sonic and Tails had even tried to fix it themselves. There just wasn't enough energy to keep it steady.

"Where, hedgehog?" Eggman asks, silently threatening to turn the machine on again. Sonic opens his mouth, but can't get it out.

If Eggman finds the weak spot, he'll exploit it. All those innocent people would…

The machine starts to whir to life again, and Sonic finally snaps.

"_It's up at the top west corner! P-Please don't!"_

Tails feels his blood run cold. Eggman grins wickedly.

Sonic was broken.

The rest of the questions came out without having to use the machine again. All G.U.N. main locations, all Resistance bases, the Resistance HQ location, Special Zone entrance locations, and more. Sonic knew that if he was shocked one more time, he'd go Dark. He just couldn't take it anymore. If he went Dark, he would be a lot more dangerous than anything Eggman could do.

He felt pathetic and weak and just...awful.

Tails felt selfish for being glad Sonic was just answering the questions now, but he didn't care. He didn't want Eggman to hurt him anymore, and if it took Sonic spilling everything they've fought to keep secret, he didn't care.

"Final question," Eggman smirks proudly. "Where is the last Chaos Emerald?"

Sonic bites his bottom lip again, shaking from the inside out. Tails wonders why. He's already told the madman so much, why keep this secret?

Unless...it wasn't the Chaos Emerald he was hiding.

It was the _place_.

"Y-You can't get there," Sonic's voice is quiet. "E-Even if I tell you, it's pointless."

Surprisingly, Eggman doesn't turn the machine back on. He just...sits and stares at Sonic, as if he suddenly knew the answer already.

"So you went back there," the doctor says, tone of voice unreadable.

Sonic turns his head away as far as he can.

Tails's brows furrow as he processes this. The emerald was somewhere only Sonic and Eggman knew, then?

The doctor stands up. "I didn't think you had the nerve to go back there, hedgehog."

"I knew you couldn't," Sonic whispers.

Eggman watches him for a moment, thinking to himself. He then turns around, walking back to his desk.

"Take them back to their cell," is all he says.

* * *

He holds Sonic as close to him as he can, letting the hedgehog sleep in his arms as he pets him, eases him to the best of his ability.

They knew the exit, he thinks. Knew how to get to it. There's a camera in this room, directly above their heads. He also knew Eggman was going to come back, going to come back and ask where or how to get to this mystery place Sonic had hid the emerald. Knew he was going to come back for the both of them this time. He wasn't sure where he was going to take them, or what he was going to do to them, but he mentally listed everything he _did _know and put it at the forefront of his mind.

He laid it out, and made a plan.

Next time, they _were _going to escape.


	6. Chapter 6

***Warnings Apply For This Chapter. For More Information, Read The Warnings Section On The First Chapter Of This Story.***

**Chapter Six -**

_Some time ago…_

_He frowns at himself in the mirror._

_His eyes were doing the…thing...again._

_Like there wasn't enough wrong with him, he thinks bitterly. As if having blue fur didn't already make him a mutated freak of nature, his eyes had to go and keep changing color._

_They would flicker emerald green at odd times, even though his eyes were supposed to be a dark blue. It was usually when he was feeling happy or content, even if for only a split second. He didn't understand it. If only…_

_He shakes his head, feeling his heart ache in his chest. His eyes turned blue again and he sighed, pulling away from his reflection. He flops on his back, staring up at the light peeking in from the hole in the roof of his burrow._

_It took some time, but he was able to find a nice, dry place with heavy soil to build a place to call "home." He was able to get his plane in it and everything, with a ramp leading outside so he could fly it out. He had large rocks blocking the entrance, so no unwanted guests found their way in._

_He had scrounged up what garbage and thrown out household items from the nearby village as sneakily as he could. He had to be careful with people seeing him, as they would most likely do what the last town did, and he didn't want to go through that hell again. They all thought he was some kind of monster. Blue fur on a mobian, he learned the hard way, was _not_ normal._

_...his powers probably didn't help, either._

_He closed his eyes and sighed again. How was he supposed to live like this?_

_'No, it won't be for long,' he thought, opening his eyes and narrowing them in determination. 'I just have to find him. I'll take him back and fix him, and everything will go back to the way it was.'_

_He had to._

_The sound of multiple footsteps getting closer made him freeze. People? Here? Did they follow him? Was he seen?_

_He jumps to his feet and tenses, listening with perked, twitching blue ears._

_It sounded like four, smaller mobians running. The sound of laughter and snickers rang above him, the group stopping directly under his burrow._

_"No! Give it back!" he hears one of them cry out, sounding pained and desperate._

_Sounding scared._

_"Haha! No way!" another kid laughed. "It's probably some super dangerous bomb or something!"_

_"Maybe he's working for Robotnik!" another kid laughed._

_"N-No! Please! It's not a bomb! It's my invention!" the kid they were laughing at cried. He sounded like he was sobbing._

_"We should smash it!" the fourth kid exclaimed._

_"No!"_

_"Quick, grab 'em!"_

_The blue hedgehog felt something heavy grow in his chest. The kid that was being bullied cried out for them to stop, leave his invention alone, and they just laughed, calling him a freak._

_The hedgehog snapped his teeth._

_He had _enough_._

_The child in question was a golden fox with sky blue eyes, no older than three, being held back by one of the kids while the other two put the invention on a tree stump, ready to smash it._

_"Please! Don't!" the fox cried out._

_One of the two bullies raised a rock over his head, ready to smash the invention…_

_Then something miraculous happened._

_A gust of wind with blue color shot passed the fox, slamming into the kid with the rock. The boy standing next to him was slammed back with the force of the wind, and the kid holding onto the fox became frightened and let go, stumbling backwards._

_The little fox stared with wide eyes._

_A hedgehog with fur as blue at the ocean stood in front of him, fists raised and dark blue eyes narrowed sharply._

_The three bullies all looked up, eyes shaking in fear._

_"It's the blue hedgehog!" one boy screamed, already running away. The other two boys scrambled to their feet, taking off into the woods, screaming._

_The blue hedgehog made a tiny sound, one that was exasperated. He let his gloved hands fall to his sides, blue ears folding back slightly._

_"U-Umm," the yellow fox started nervously._

_He's heard about hedgehogs from the other kids at school. Apparently they were so rare, they almost were extinct. Usually the only hedgehogs seen were in wealthy families, but some were also feral, and would attack on site. This one, however, was neither it seemed._

_He was also blue. A bright, brilliant, cobalt blue._

_The hedgehog turned his head, meeting light blue eyes with his own midnight blue ones. His brows were furrowed, but snapped up when he got a good look at the kid he had just saved._

_The fox had two tails._

_A kitsune…and a golden one at that._

_Why were those kids bullying a kitsune? Was it because of the two tails? That didn't make sense…weren't kitsunes worshipped in some countries? Well, _some_ he supposed. They were supposed to be 'mythical' after all._

_"H-Hi," the fox stammered out. "Th-Thank you for saving me."_

_The hedgehog's eyes widen, and he turns fully, taking a step back from the fox._

_Did this kid just…_thank_ him?_

_The hedgehog just gives a tiny, shocked nod, before turning and starting to walk away._

_"W-Wait!" the fox calls, running after him. "Where are you from? I've never seen you before. What's your name?"_

_The hedgehog again looks shocked, as if he didn't expect the kid to talk to him at all. Instead of answering, he just slowly raises a hand to his mouth, opens in, then closes it._

_The fox stopped._

_"You…can't talk?"_

_A nod._

_Again the hedgehog turned to walk away, having no reason to want to stay._

_"H-Hold on," the fox called out again, running to stop in front of the hedgehog's path. The blue mobian stopped, frowning deeply. The fox smiled. "My name's Miles! Miles Prower! I think you're really cool!"_

_The hedgehog stared at him with pure surprise. He takes a step back and gives the fox a cautious look, it being plain as day he didn't trust him or his friendliness._

_"Oh, I'm sorry if I seem excited," the fox tried, sounding a bit embarrassed. "I've just...never had anyone stand up for me before."_

_All he received in return was a stupified look._

_The hedgehog stared, not sure what to do. A part of him wanted to indulge the kid, another part of him knew better._

_'I can't trust anyone,' he reminds himself._

_He holds up a hand, signaling his goodbye, and turns, dashing off before the fox could say anything else._

_Miles stood, both amazed and worried._

_Why was the hedgehog scared?_

* * *

They sat, curled up in the back of their cell, Sonic in Tails's lap, the fox's arms wrapped tightly around him, petting through blue fur and nuzzling him occasionally. Sonic had woken up maybe a couple hours ago, but with the lack of anything to tell them specifically, they really could only guess the time exactly. All they knew was that Eggman hadn't come back yet, and for that they were silently grateful.

A robot had teleported into their cell sometime later, making them both jump. The machine had only left two cups of water, two plates of old food, and then left. Tails sat Sonic down despite the hedgehog's expression of silent protest, and gathered the cups of water and pieces of bread that looked somewhat edible. He brought it back to his brother, sitting down and pulling Sonic back into his lap. He split the piece of bread in half, and they nibbled it in silence.

When it came to getting Sonic to drink the water in one of the cups, things got a little more challenging.

The hero had shaken his head, turning away from the offered cup with a weak groan of disgust. Tails sighed softly.

"I know, buddy," he murmurs softly, "but you really need it. It's okay, I promise."

Sonic shakes his head, hiding his face in the fox's shoulder. Tails closes his eyes, trying to not let his thoughts fall back to how much he hated Eggman, before looking back at his brother and trying again.

"Sonic, it's okay. It's not going to hurt you. Don't let him win this one over you," he says quietly, using his free hand to lift the cobalt teen's head back up. Sonic's emerald eyes met his, and he could see the fear clear as day.

"I don't want to remember," the hero whispered.

Tails leans forward, pressing a gentle kiss on his brother's forehead. "Then don't. Remember the time you kicked Perfect Chaos's ass?"

Sonic blinks in surprise, pulling back with a flustered look on his face. "L-Language," he mumbles.

Tails chuckles. "You broke that rule, too, Sonic."

Sonic stares at him, before a weak smile forms on his lips. "I told you I wasn't a g-good role model."

The golden kit smiles gently. "That's okay."

He then reaches a hand up and uses it to put the cup of water in Sonic's hands. The hedgehog's smile faded quickly, and his muzzle paled slightly.

"You're okay," Tails pushes again. "Just pretend it's something you _want _to drink."

The look Sonic gives him almost makes him laugh. It's that look he's usually given when he accidentally speaks without thinking, making some sort of dumb, obvious comment that makes the older of the two role his eyes or give him a half-lidded glare.

"Please?" he presses, making the hero close his eyes and look away. He waits for him, tilting his head, trying to get a look at his friend's face, wondering if he was going to have to force him somehow. That thought's erased when Sonic slowly looks back at him with shaky eyes, giving a tiny nod.

Tails holds the back of his head as he guides trembling hands to lift the cup to Sonic's lips, the hedgehog looking terrified as he does so. He lets him do it, though, and when the liquid finally touches his tongue, the fox rubs tiny circles in the mess of what was left of the hero's quills to ease him.

Sonic takes maybe two gulps, but once the third one registers, he shudders, and pulls the cup away, putting the back of his hand over his mouth. He makes a weak whimper, but doesn't spit it out, and Tails takes the cup and puts it down, before pulling Sonic to him and holding him tightly.

"It's okay, just swallow it," he says softly, his voice almost a whisper. The hero does and shudders again, whining quietly.

Sonic had the worst hydrophobia he knew of. He had no idea what had caused it, but it's followed him his whole life, and it was now at its absolute worst. He feels Sonic hiccup, and continues whispering gentle praise to him, little promises of everything was going to be okay soon. Eventually the tremors in the hedgehog die down to nothing, and when Tails pulls back to get a look at him, he sees the tear streaks and the frustration written all over the hero's face.

"I-I'm s-sorry," is all Sonic mumbles out.

Tails's brows lift up in concern. "For what, Sonic? There's nothing to be sorry for."

"I-" the blue male tries, but can't seem to word it or get it out. Tails just shushes him and pulls him back against him.

"You don't have to be sorry for being afraid of it," he says gently. "Sometimes I still get silly scared when I hear thunder or see lightning, or even when it's just raining."

Sonic shakes his head. "I...I shouldn't be afraid to drink w-water."

Tails smiles softly. "Maybe you're not afraid. Maybe it's just like you said, you don't want to remember it."

"I…don't even remember when or why," Sonic tries, and it takes the fox a minute to realize he was getting another important piece of information on the hedgehog's personal, inner life. The one he didn't know anything about, or simply, Sonic's life before he had met him.

"You mean, what had caused you to fear it?" Tails asks. "You always said you didn't know."

Sonic nods. "I think I use to, but the memory is just…gone. I think I forced myself to forget, thinking it would help."

Tails hums, taking that into consideration. It wasn't impossible. Anyone could force themself to forget if the memory was painful enough. Like a bad nightmare that you had that you shove away, pretending it never happened.

"You can't help what you're afraid of," he says, the words leaving him almost on their own. "Being afraid is okay, because it means we have something to lose. That what that special thing is means everything to us and we couldn't bare to lose it."

"I just don't like water in my lungs," the hedgehog grumbles.

Tails chuckles. "Of course, Sonic."

Sonic was calm now, despite being a bit crabby, but the fox didn't blame him.

They sit in silence, Sonic closing his eyes and letting his head fall on Tails's shoulder. The golden fox pets a hand through his cut quills, being mindful of the injuries.

"Will they grow back?" Sonic's voice is small as he asks, as if embarrassed. Tails feels pity for him as he looks at the cuts, where long, sharp spines use to be. The quills were dull and useless now. There's no way Sonic would be able to spindash or use his homing attack. Eggman really _was_ trying to make Sonic useless in all ways possible.

He takes a few blue quills in his fingers, feeling them carefully. The ends were jagged but not sharp enough to even puncture skin. The length itself of some quills were still slick and sharp, but most of them were blunted down. They were _very_ damaged, most of them feeling weak, some feeling simply dead.

"I don't know, buddy," Tails admits sadly. "I'll have to keep an eye on them. When we get home, we can have Miss Vanilla look at them."

Sonic lets out a tiny sigh, but doesn't say anything in return. The fox watched Sonic's fists clench, then unclench, then repeat.

"I'm sure with a Chaos Emerald they might," he decides to add. "When we finally get one, we can fully heal you."

"Chaos Energy won't make them grow magically," Sonic mutters.

"Maybe not, but it'll heal the damage and they'll start to grow back on their own," Tails smiles. "It'll be okay."

Sonic purses his lips but doesn't answer.

The fox tries to think of something to make his brother feel better, racking his brain for anything. He runs a hand through the damaged quills, noticing how instead of falling down, they stuck up at an interesting angle. It didn't look bad on the hero.

"If it makes you feel better," he tries, "you pull the look off really well. I know for sure people will like it."

Sonic snorts, but there's a hint of a smile there, just barely. "Everyone will just feel bad for me."

"That means we'll get more gifts and free stuff," Tails grins. "People will probably start to dig the new style and all hedgehogs will follow it."

"Yeah, right," the blue hog rolls his eyes, but he can't hide his smile anymore. "It's too painful. They'd have to put everyone to sleep. Can you imagine _Shadow_ cutting his quills like this? He'd look like a dork."

Tails laughs lightly, seeing the image in his head. "Yeah, he'd probably look really funny." A thought hits him, and he grins mischievously. "I think he'd like the way _you_ look, though."

The reaction was immediate: a bloom of red falls over Sonic's muzzle, the hero becoming flustered. "I doubt that," he says quickly and sharply. "He doesn't like me."

"You don't know that," the fox teases. "Maybe he's like you and has too much pride to admit it."

A hand is suddenly being smashed into his mouth, and he laughs at the way Sonic glares at him. "You need to shut up," the older of the two snaps. Tails can't help but laugh again.

Sonic was so bad at admitting his feelings. Luckily Tails could read him like a book, knew something was up when the hero started running off to "see Shadow off on his mission," or "go run with Shadow," and _Shadow this, Shadow that. _Eventually he called him out on it and the red cheeked, flushed reaction he got was very similar to the one he had now. Thankfully Sonic didn't deny the feelings, but he did smash them down into a dark corner where they wouldn't bother him.

Or so he told himself.

He pulls back to get Sonic's hand off his face, smiling and the grumpy, red faced look he's given.

"I-I told _you," _the hedgehog grumbles. "That's admitting it."

"Maybe to me, but not to Shadow," Tails says, voice light. "Or anyone else for that matter."

Sonic's eyes widen suddenly, muzzle losing some of its color. "Oh, _Gaia_, what if _Amy_ finds out?"

Tails frowns, looking down. "Hmm, well…" That was something he had completely forgot about. Amy might attack Sonic or Shadow, or completely break down. He wasn't sure how exactly she would react, but it was kind of scary. "I think we'll cross that bridge when we get there," he thinks out loud.

"What do you mean, 'when we get there?'" Sonic questions, brows furrowing.

Tails smiles again, almost too innocently. "You _know_...when you and Shadow finally get together."

_"Tails!"_

* * *

They sat for so many more countless hours. Sonic had fallen asleep on and off, startling awake from a nightmare every so often. He didn't talk about them, but it was always the same: a sharp gasp and jump with shrunken green eyes and gloved fingers digging into Tails's fur. A soft murmur or two would help ease the frightened hero, who afterwards would close his eyes, sigh, and try to rest some more.

They were just left alone, and it was making them antsy.

Every once in a while they would strike up a conversation to distract themselves, but the anxiety was always ready for them when they couldn't find anymore words to say. It was the thought of "what next" and "was Eggman taking over the world," and especially _what was going to happen to them?_

All the while they waited, Tails thought of plan after plan. What to do in any case scenario. They knew where the exit was. They knew they were underground in their cell. They knew Eggman was going to come back for both of them. Tails was most likely going to be put in that glass pod again. He thinks about how strong that pod is, having noticed it wasn't designed to be strong enough for someone like Sonic. That means Eggman made it for a weak mobian. He would regret that, Tails promises himself.

The big question was what Eggman planned to do with Sonic. If he had Sonic restrained to the table again, Tails would have to figure out how to open the clamps, or wait until after whatever torture has happened and then break out and grab Sonic. That would mean Sonic would be no help at all in an escape. It would all be up to Tails.

If Eggman didn't restrain him, it would be easy, but he doubted that would happen. He would put Sonic_ in something. _What exactly was up for question, but it would be bad. If it was a roboticizer, they would be screwed. Tails would have to break out of the pod and pry his brother from the robots before it all went down.

The robots were another problem. They weren't like anything Eggman had ever made before. Their compounds and structure, and ability to use Chaos Energy made them the madman's strongest yet. All he would be able to do is dodge them and pay close attention to everything around him, and definitely not get caught off guard again. The consequences would be too great. Sonic's cut quills were a harsh reminder of that.

He had to do whatever it took. Failure was not an option. He would fight tooth and nail to get Sonic out of here.

He feels Sonic shift in his hold, the hedgehog reaching for his hand and grabbing it tightly.

"You're angry," the hero mumbled. Tails sometimes wondered how Sonic could read him so well.

"Yeah, but I'm more determined," the fox replied softly. "I'm going to get us out of here."

"I know."

The golden mobian smiled. Sonic _trusted_ him. He wouldn't fail him. He never has.

After a few more minutes, Sonic stiffened.

"Something's coming," he whispers. He could probably feel the Chaos Energy of the robots.

Tails could tell by the way Sonic said it that it wasn't just the food robot coming to check on them. He braces himself, and Sonic sits up, the two of them getting ready. Tails gives his brother a look.

"This is the last time," he says. "Hold on for me."

Sonic gives him a weak smile and thumbs up. "I'll be okay."

They were both scared, but they were strong.

They could do it.

* * *

The purple chameleon frowns as he quietly steps through the house, listening in on the conversation coming from upstairs.

"It's been four days, Eggman could have done anything to them by now," came a gruff voice he recognized as Knuckles. "We don't have much more time."

"Are there any leads at all?" Vector's loud voice asked. "I can't work with nothing."

"G.U.N. is currently going to each and every Eggman base on file and looking for any clues," answered a husky voice he almost didn't recognize at first. He realized it was Shadow only a second later as the hedgehog continues. "We're looking for new bases, and whatever can tell us what the doctor is planning."

"We figured if anyone can find out what that plan is, it's you guys," Knuckles added. "You're good at that."

"Hmm, well we're on it for sure but, this ain't gonna be easy." Vector hummed. "I don't like to think of Sonic and Tails in that guy's hands though. We'll do whatever we can."

Espio decides he needs answers now, and steps into the office room, getting the three's attention. They all turn to him, being greeted by a very confused expression.

"What's going on?" he asks, not liking what it was sounding like.

Vector sighs, scratching the top of his head as he leaned back in his desk chair. "Sonic and Tails were kidnapped. The good ol' doctor has taken them and went MIA."

"Knothole was wrecked, too," Knuckles adds. "Eggman's got some serious new weapons on his hands."

Espio's eyes widened at this. So it was true… He shakes his head, looking away. "Damn…and isn't Sonic injured?"

Shadow looks away, and Knuckles nods grimly. "Yeah, he can't run. Can barely fight."

"We're going to be searching for clues as to what Eggman's plans are," Vector explains.

Espio nods. "We'll need help."

The green croc nods. "I've got a couple of guys in mind that'll help out for sure, free of charge. In the meantime," he turns back to Knuckles and Shadow. "Keep us in the loop, especially if you find them."

The Master Emerald Guardian nods. "I will. Hopefully it'll be soon."

No one wanted to admit it wouldn't be.

* * *

They were dragged passed the lab room this time by two robots, making the duo exchange slightly nervous looks. Eggman hadn't come to retrieve them himself, and the two weren't sure how good a sign that was. Tails watched Sonic's demeanor slowly get more and more fearful the farther down the hall they went, and by the time they finally stopped at a door to their left, the hedgehog was extremely tense. Tails could tell he was fighting to hide it, contain it, but after everything he's been through since being here, the fox believed Sonic had a right to be this afraid.

He was, too.

They're pushed in the room, and Tails takes note of the lack of security locks on the door. As they step in the room, they're greeted with Eggman standing by a large control console, and above it, a viewing window. He looks frustrated, which isn't a good sign, and Sonic involuntarily stops, causing him to trip and yelp as the robot pushes him forward. His ankle is slightly twisted in the process, and he grits his teeth and bites back the pain, letting himself be pushed forward despite the fear in his heart.

Tails is taken to the glass pod in the room, and as he's put in and the glass door is closing, he meets Sonic's shaking eyes.

_'Hold on for me,' _he thinks, wishing he could say it out loud.

Sonic slowly turns his attention to Eggman, who glares down at him with visible distaste.

"You've gone and made quite a mess of this situation," the doctor grumbles. "The island is impossible to get to."

"You knew this already," Sonic answered slowly, as if scared the wrong words would be his doom. He wasn't wrong.

"Of course," the doctor's voice is dripping with venom as he speaks. "Then you know how much trouble you're about to be in."

Sonic's frown deepens, and he tries to play it tough, but the way his body is trembling it was obvious as day he was afraid. "Y-You can't be _that_ _mad_ about it."

A sharp toothed grin snaked across the doctor's face. "If only you knew." The human walks over, kneeling down in front of the hedgehog. His large hand grabs around the hero's throat, making Sonic cry out and turn his head. "The only way to get there," Eggman growled, "is to send a robot there, covered in your Chaos Energy." He lifts Sonic off the ground, standing to his full height. Tails braces and Sonic chokes out a weak call, grabbing at the human's wrist and kicking his legs.

"I would have sent Metal, but with him being too tied to you, he would have become corrupted. So now, I have to waste more time, developing a robot that can get to that damn island and retrieve the Chaos Emerald you hid there," Eggman snaps, his words rising at every syllable. He was _very_ angry.

Sonic glares back. "Maybe you shouldn't have destroyed my plane!"

"That damn plane," Eggman snarls. "Of course you would still have it. I thought it was destroyed long ago."

"Tails fixed it," Sonic practically boasts. "Its GPS never broke, either."

"So that's how you got to the island," Eggman thinks out loud. "Too afraid to chase your demons over the water, were you, hedgehog?"

Sonic flinches. "I didn't want to become like you."

"As far as I'm concerned," the madman chuckles. "You're just as bad as me."

Sonic's fight was gone, blue ears folding back almost guiltily.

Eggman doesn't elaborate, instead turning and showing Sonic the viewing window. Inside was a large, dark blue room with a neon grid inside.

"I need to gather a large amount of your energy for my new robot," the man explains. "It will trace that energy to the island, and also supply it as its power source."

Sonic gasps as he's suddenly dropped on to the floor, yelping in pain as he lands on his injured leg.

"Put him in there," he hears, before strong metal hands are grabbing him and lifting him back off the ground.

He was thrown into the room, the large metal door clicking shut behind him.

"We're going to play a little game, rodent," Eggman calls to him through a speaker, watching him through the viewing glass with a grin. The floor suddenly lights up, and digital looking, cyan walls rose above the hero, trapping him in what looked like a short corridor. He looks over at the doctor with wide eyes, slowly pushing himself to his feet.

Eggman's grin grows into something inhuman. Monstrous.

_"Run,"_ he says.

A wall sprung up in between him and the window, and it started moving towards him, electricity crackling off of it.

"Oh, for the love of…" the blue male mumbles, before turning about face and running.

It _hurt_.

Tails watches with ever growing anxiety. "W-What are you doing?" he calls out. "He can't run!"

Eggman throws his head back and laughs. "That's the point!"

Tails curses under his breath, pounding his fists on the glass. "Enough! Let him go!"

"Why should I?" the doctor asks, grinning. "I'm only doing the world a favor."

"What are you talking about?!" the fox yells back.

Sonic trips over his own feet, his side and leg spiking in pain as he runs through the narrow corridors. It was some kind of maze. Every time he went too slow or touched a wall, a terrible shockwave of energy would slice through him like butter. He could feel his energy being drained with every footfall, every shock, every bit of hesitation.

"Oh, me telling you would only ruin the surprise," Eggman chuckled. "I will say, that you should start asking that blue friend of yours some questions." He looks at the fox with a grin. "He's not as innocent as you think."

Tails glares back. "I couldn't care less! I don't care what he's done! He doesn't deserve this!"

The mad doctor just laughs again. "So you say!"

Sonic's eyes widen in pure horror as he turns a corner and is met with a dead end. He drops down and skids across the floor, stopping in a crouch, panic filtered over his face. The electric wall behind him continues on, and he braces himself for impact.

His scream shattered anything Tails wanted to say back. The golden fox stares mouth agape as the electricity grabbed a tight, mean hold on his brother.

The meters on the small screen on Eggman's console lit up, showing all the Chaos Energy the machine was absorbing.

"Perfect!" Eggman calls. He presses a few buttons, and Tails watches as the maze disappears for a second, then regenerates into a new one. Sonic whines on the floor, forcing himself up to start running again.

"What's the point?!" Tails calls out. "Why can't you just take the energy? Why do this to him?"

"Because I need a very specific type of energy from him, one that requires _fear_," the man explains. "He can't run, he's trapped, and he knows how bad his situation is. This will supply me with more energy than a simple extraction would."

Fear? What kind of energy ran off of fear? That didn't sound like the energy Sonic normally used. Tails jumps as Sonic calls out again, this time from tripping and falling right into another wall.

_He couldn't take it anymore._

All of this was just pure insanity. Pure hell. Sonic didn't deserve this.

Tails had finally snapped.

He takes in a deep breath, taking a step back from the glass holding him in the pod. He swore he saw red as he lifted his first, sky blue eyes narrowing on the doctor oblivious to it all.

He swung.

Eggman would regret underestimating him.

…and that started now.

Glass shattered, and Tails lifted his body up with his namesakes, jumping off the glass wall behind him and slamming himself into the cracks as hard as he could.

The pod exploded.

Eggman didn't even have time to react, before Tails was throwing himself at him, fists swinging.

_"Let go of my brother!"_

* * *

They were running.

During the struggle, Tails had hit the console and set off the alarms, and the room holding Sonic had disabled and shut down. Luckily the hero seemed to realize what was going on, and ran through the viewing glass with his one good leg, kicking right through it.

Tails had grabbed his arm and they ran out, the doctor screaming behind them.

Robots were after them, firing lasers and missiles, but Sonic seemed to be running on adrenaline, and was leading them through the halls dodging faster than he should be.

A missile whizzes by their ears as they fly up a set of stairs, the projectile blowing a hole in the ceiling above them.

Light.

"Tails!" Sonic calls, but the fox is already on it. The golden kit grabs Sonic by the arms and flies up, through the hole and outside.

_Outside_.

They were on a roof, and across from them were tall walls blocking their escape.

Tails's eyes narrow in determination.

Without stopping their feet, they run towards the edge of the roof. The younger of the two slows down, flying behind his brother. Robots are behind them and above them, swarming in. Tails grits his teeth, dashes forward, and lifts Sonic up in his arms bridal style. The hedgehog yips but holds on, and Tails flies them over the edge of the building.

His namesakes hurt but he goes, dodging robots and weapons, and they make it over the wall. An endless forest greeted them on the other side, and Tails dives into it.

"L-Let me run," Sonic says, grabbing the fluff on the fox's chest.

"No," Tails replies sternly. "I'm getting you out of here safely."

"Tails-"

"Shut _up_, Sonic," the kid interrupts. He ignores the guilt that follows and continues to focus on flying away from the base as quickly as he can. He can hear robots chasing after them, but the sounds are getting distant.

He flies them for miles, making sharp turns and avoiding thick trees. It's only when Sonic tugs weakly on him again after some time, that he slows to a stop.

He's panting and shaking, but he takes one look at the worried expression on Sonic's face and smiles warmly.

"I told you it would be okay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They've escaped!
> 
> I know this is two weeks late, but...Shadow has been helping me write this, and is also my beta reader, and she's moving across the US at the moment, so we haven't had much time to go over it. We're also putting our all into this story, wanting it to be the best it can be.
> 
> If you want to keep up to date in what we're doing or when we'll be updating, follow us on Twitter! Our username is @the_anonymoux, and we post about what's going to be updating next, and even art and sneak previews of upcoming stories and chapters. Shadow even drew Sonic from this story with his shortened quills, and I have to say, he's pretty frickin' cute. There's also a comic adaption of The Sadist and the Masochist going on, and you can find links to it as well as pages on our Twitter.
> 
> I'll hopefully see you guys next week! Be safe!
> 
> \- AnonymouxSonic


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven -**

_There's the sound of an explosion. It's all around him, consuming him in hot flames and thick smoke._

_It didn't bother him._

_The real nightmare was the water pouring in the quickly crumbling building, knocking walls over and carrying away debris, computers, and machines. Parts of the ceiling were crashing down, causing the water a foot high to splash loudly, spraying him and making him cry out._

_As he wipes the water from his eyes, he looks forward, wrapping his arms around himself to stop the shaking. He can hear screaming, calls for help, people confused and scared._

_He was scared._

_Explosions continued to deafen him, and despite the dark ocean water rising, he couldn't move. He was frozen._

_He was alone._

_He can't stop the sob that breaks his lips, his mind hurling and curling in on itself. He feels something anxious and heavy building in his chest. It feels warm and familiar, though, and he tries to reach for it._

_Something wouldn't let him._

_He panicked, trying to reach and reach for it. He never had a problem with it before. It was always there when he needed it before, so why wasn't it helping now?_

_The water was waving and crashing around him, and he whimpered as he tried to not let it push him._

_He didn't know what to do. He tried again to reach for the warmth in his chest, but every time he did he just felt sick._

_He hears the sound of maniacal laughter from a nearby room and he whimpers again. Everything was so, so very wrong right now._

_The laughter sounds as if it's getting closer, and soon heavy splashes of footfalls begin to echo down the hall outside the crippling room he hid in. He's shaking, terrified, wanting to hide but having nowhere to go. A computer connected to a strange machine in front of him starts sparking, lighting up the room around him, making him stand out brightly._

_A dark, large figure appears in the doorway of the room, and he wants to scream and cry._

_"Found you," it growls at him happily._

_It takes a step forward into the room, but doesn't get very far before the computer and machine explode._

_He's sent flying backwards with a cry, his back hitting a deep end of water on the far end of the room._

_He goes under._

_It's dark and cold. He can't see the bottom. He can't see the top. He can't breathe. Can't swim. He panics, arms and legs flailing, but he knows it in his gut…_

_He was going to die._

_As he loses his breath and the water enters his mouth, down his throat like a dam bursting into a river, cold salt water into his lungs, his vision starts to fade. He doesn't want to die._

_ **"I can help you," ** _ _he hears as his mind starts to shut down._

_'Yes, please help!' he thinks, trying to stay awake, trying to fight._

_ **"Okay then, I'll help, but you're gonna have to give me something in return," ** _ _the voice responds._

_A golden glow forms around him, and suddenly he can breathe. His eyes are heavy, but he tries to work them anyway. As they focus forward, he sees a faint red light in front of him. Two of them actually._

…_and then to his horror he realizes those lights are eyes staring at him from the water._

_ **"You'll be my other vessel."** _

* * *

Pain jolts him awake, cold sweat coating his hot body. His eyes try to open, but all he can see is white light. Another harsh jolt of pain coursed through his side.

"Gnaah!" he calls out, back arching, eyes squeezing shut and giving up.

"Sorry!" he hears Tails call, feeling hands over his body and the sound of fabric tearing. "Your stitches are completely torn, I'm trying to do what I can before it gets worse."

"J-Just h-hurry," Sonic groans out, feeling like he was going to vomit.

"I know," Tails's voice was gentle.

He can feel the fox covering the wound with something not meant for it, and hears more tearing fabric. What could he be using? He realizes a second later.

"Y-Your coat," he mumbles out.

"Don't worry about it, Sonic," the fox says softly. "I'll be fine. I'm more worried about your injuries."

Sonic coughs, feeling the cold winter air blow around them. "Y-You owe me three hundred rings."

Tails laughs lightly. "Out of what? Your three decillion rings?"

"Is that even a word?" the blue hero asks accusingly, squinting an eye open to see if he could, well…_see_. The light was still too bright, but Tails shadowed it as he moved to look down at him with a smile.

"Yes, it's a word, Sonic. How are you feeling?"

The hedgehog frowns, moving his fingers, then his hands, then his arms. He tries to move his upper body, and immediately regrets it, a hiss leaving him and his eyes closing again.

"I'll take that as an answer," the golden fox sighs. "We need to find help."

"Where even are we?" Sonic questions, slowly opening his eyes again to look at his younger brother. He could see grey stone above their heads, meaning they were in a cave.

Tails looks outside their small hideout, ears falling slightly. "I don't know, exactly. You passed out while I was still carrying you, and I just kept going and going. It seems there's nothing but forest here."

Sonic didn't even remember when he had passed out. Everything had happened so quickly, even for him, and the last thing he remembered was Tails stopping for a break, before running off again.

"How far from the base are we?" he asks, trying to create a map in his head.

"I'm…not sure," the fox admits, looking back at him. "I just kept going and going. I think I ran for a few hours."

"How fast were you moving?" Sonic questions as his brows furrow deeply.

"Umm," Tails starts awkwardly. "I...don't know?"

The blue hero lets out a long, irritated sigh. "Okay…so we have no idea how far from danger we are. How long have we been stopped?"

Tails looks back outside. "I think about two hours. It was early morning when we escaped, it's gotta be around noon now. I can't really see where the sun is with all these trees."

"We need to move," Sonic states. "Whenever I get lost I usually head East."

Tails looks back at him curiously. "Why's that?"

"Mobotropolis is on the coast," the hedgehog explains. "I think we're still in the Great Forest, since no other continent I've been on has trees like this."

"Okay," Tails hums. "So we head East." He looks at his older brother and eyes him carefully. "We need to find some help, though."

"We need to be careful, and quiet," Sonic adds. "He could grab us back in an instant."

That was _not_ something they wanted to deal with again.

Tails nods and grabs the pieces of his coat from the cave floor, tying them around his wrists for later. He leans over, reaching for his older brother. "I'm going to have to carry you for a little while," he explains at the dirty look Sonic gives him. "I know you don't like it, but you need time to recover."

"I could get us there in a minute," Sonic snaps as he's lifted into the fox's arms. He's reminded of just how strong the kid is.

"I know you could," Tails chides easily, "but not the way you are right now. You would kill yourself if you tried to run that fast, let alone tried to run at all."

"Can I at least-?"

"_No_, Sonic," the fox states firmly, glaring down at him. "No."

"I-" the hedgehog starts, but cuts himself off, staring kind of dazed at the kid. He slowly closes his mouth, then looks away, ears folding back. Tails feels slightly bad about it, but knows it can't be helped.

Sonic needed to learn that it was okay to take it easy when he was hurt, to let someone else take over.

"You made me promise," Tails reminds him. "That if you were unable to, I would lead us."

Sonic lets his head relax back, being supported by the fox's arm. "I-I know… I just...feel like I can still _do _something."

"Yes, you feel like that," Tails starts, walking them out of the cave, "but you know down inside that you can't. You're hurt _really_ bad, Sonic. I already know this, and you can't hide it...from me or yourself."

Sonic rests his head on the fox's white chest, closing his eyes. He doesn't say anything, and Tails takes that as silent agreement. He flurls his namesakes and begins flying through the trees, starting slow and then seeing how fast he could push himself. It would be faster to fly above the trees, but it would be too risky. They would be seen by robots that Eggman could have flying up there.

It was better to stay on the ground.

He flies them as fast as he can, then slows down to take it easy on himself. It was one thing carrying himself, but having to carry Sonic as well made it a little difficult. He didn't let the struggle show at all, however. He didn't want Sonic to worry or bring up running again.

The trees in the forest were thick and tall with dark brown bark, their leaves strong and hanging on despite the snow and winter weather constantly attacking them. That's what made the Great Forest...well...great. The trees were strong and spread far across the entire continent. Even after all the damage Eggman had done to them, they still stood tall.

The fox wondered why Eggman didn't clear this area to build a bigger base. Yeah, the base they were in was pretty big, but it wasn't as big as the doctor usually builds. Normally he would have torn down all surrounding vegetation and built a large, powerful fortress.

No, it was almost as if he kept the trees on purpose.

To hide.

The fox grits his teeth. He had never really hated Eggman until this moment. Sure, the man was evil and annoying, but he had never done anything to make the fox _truly _despise him. Now, all the fox could think about was how he was going to get his revenge.

That was also something he's never thought of before: revenge.

Seeing Sonic hurt so badly, and the doctor not even caring a bit, made Tails want to hurt the doctor ten times worse. Make him beg for his life.

Okay, that was kind of dark, but he didn't feel bad about it.

Sonic tugs on his chest lightly, and the fox slows to a stop to look at him with questioning eyes. "Yeah?"

"You're angry," the hedgehog murmurs.

He wondered how Sonic could tell so easily, but didn't question him out loud. Sonic had practically raised him, and knew him just as well as he knew himself.

He sighs, taking a second to close his eyes and just breathe.

"Yeah, I am," he answers after a moment. "I'm angry and frustrated and I'm just so mad at Eggman right now." He met emerald green eyes, and realized Sonic seemed upset. Was him being angry, upsetting him directly? He frowned, concern filtering over his face. "I'm sorry if I'm worrying you."

Sonic shrugs weakly. "I am worried a little bit, but...I don't know. I don't blame you? I don't think Eggman would even be _alive _if he had hurt _you_. I just…" He cuts himself off, as if not knowing how to say what he wanted to.

Tails gives the hedgehog an understanding smile. "It's okay. I'm not going to do anything reckless, as much as I want to. I know our motto is to try and keep as little violence as possible. I'm not going to do anything if it upsets you."

"I don't want either of us to kill him," Sonic says quietly. "Locking him up is fine, I just...don't want to cross any lines."

"You're worried you might do something, too?" Tails asks softly. The hero nods, and the fox smiles again. "I don't think you would. You're stronger than that. Besides, you would have to stop me before I had to stop you."

Sonic meets his eyes, and takes in a deep breath. He gives him another nod, this one shaky.

"Let's get as far as we can," Tails says warmly. "Hopefully we can find some help. It's cold out here."

* * *

"Sonic and Tails were kidnapped?!"

The black and red armadillo nearly dropped the phone in his surprise. The yellow flying squirrel nearby looks up with wide eyes, watching his friend with his fullest attention.

_"Yeah, Knuckles showed up asking for our help. I know you guys are trying to distance yourselves from all this but…can you help?"_ came Espio's voice from the phone. _"We need to figure out what it is Eggman is up to and where Sonic and Tails are, and we're going to need you for a possible rescue."_

Mighty runs a hand over his head, looking at his best friend as he walked nervously up to him. "Yeah, of course. Anything for Sonic. What's going on, exactly? What are we up against?"

_"Robots that can Chaos Control and are nearly indestructible. A large one attacked the city two weeks ago and heavily injured Sonic. They swarmed Sonic and Tails's home and kidnapped them while their guard was down, and we don't have any clue as to where they were taken. The doctor also has four Chaos Emeralds, G.U.N. has two, and Knuckles said Sonic had hidden the last emerald."_

"Oh, geeze," Mighty sighs, patting Ray's head affectionately. "Alright, so we're pretty much screwed?"

_"Yes," _Espio answers grimly. The sounds of Vector and Charmy in the background could be heard for a brief moment._ "Thankfully Sonic has close friends in G.U.N. that are helping us with everything they can. The media has also already put out the news, and the whole world is searching."_

"Okay," the fighter nods. "We'll join in. Ray and I will meet up with you guys at the house so we can make a plan."

_"We'll see you soon. Be vigilant. Eggman is more dangerous than ever."_

The call hangs up, and the two friends exchange worried looks.

* * *

Sonic kept track of how fast Tails flew them, guestimating they were moving at an average of fifty miles per hour. They figured they were far enough from the Eggman base to not be so anxious, but at the same time, they stayed just as defensive. No doubt the doctor was hunting them down like a wolf.

They came to a stop once the sun started to set, the temperature having dropped too low for comfort. Without Chaos Energy or even rings to keep Sonic warm, he was a shivering mess by the time Tails stopped. The fox thought back to when the hero lost his coat, which had to have been when they were first ambushed at their home.

That's something he was trying not to think about. That if they had gone inside sooner, or if Sonic hadn't sensed trouble when he had, they would have been crushed under that giant robot that smashed their house.

"T-Tails," Sonic stutters out.

Right, they needed shelter.

He had thought they were pretty lucky with the cave he had found earlier. Now they had nothing. He walks around for a minute, trying to find anything to bunker down in. He finds some thick bushes, wondering if it would be enough.

"T-Tails, put me d-down," Sonic presses quietly, and the fox does gently, sitting the hero on the ground as carefully as he can. The hedgehog shivers as he sits on the cold ground, wrapping his arms around himself.

Tails kneels by him, wrapping his arms around him while he thought on what to do.

"We need a place to sleep," he says, letting Sonic rest his head on his shoulder. He wraps his namesakes around him to help shelter him from the cold wind.

"I-If m-my quills w-weren't…" Sonic starts hesitantly, sounding both embarrassed and freezing cold. "I-I mean I c-could make us a b-burrow."

That was an idea. Tails pulls away with a small smile. "I could do it," he offers. "I know how to spin dash."

Sonic gives him a pointed look. "...b-but you don't have sh-sharp quills to c-cut into the ground."

Oh...yeah.

Maybe…if he spun fast enough, his tails would do the work. If he could destroy robots, surely he could tear up the ground?

He hoped.

"Let me try," he decides. "I'll see what I can do, then gather up some leaves and stuff to keep us warm."

"I-I can do that," Sonic offers immediately, going to push himself up. The fox stops him.

"You need to sit and take it easy," he says sternly.

The hedgehog flinches visibly, hurt flashing in his emerald eyes. Tails can't stop the guilt this time.

_'He feels useless.'_

"Please," Sonic's voice is choked. "I-I'll be okay. It'll k-keep me w-warm…m-moving around I mean."

Tails takes in a deep breath, knowing it would break Sonic's heart if he continued to limit him the way he's had to. He supposed he could let him do this _one_ little thing.

"Okay," he says softly, leaning forward to press a kiss to his brother's head. "Don't go too far, and be careful. If you hear something coming, yell for me."

Sonic flushes and waves him away. "I-I'll be fine."

Tails helps him to his feet, watching the way the hero wobbled slightly on his bad leg. He keeps his eyes on him as the hedgehog walks away, feeling his gut twist up in grief.

_'Poor Sonic,' _he can't help but think. _'I'm so sorry you have to go through this.'_

He turns back to the bushes in front of him, telling himself he needed to get to work. The sooner finished, the sooner Sonic could rest.

* * *

Knuckles sighed as he sat in the café chair, dropping his head into his hands. Shadow watched him as he pulled out his own chair, lounging quietly and crossing his arms.

"I think that's everyone," the echidna thinks out loud. "This Resistance stuff is tiring. I don't know why I agreed to be Sonic's right hand man on this."

_"He's_ the Resistance Leader?" Shadow questions, stumped. "Since when?"

The Resistance Leader was pretty much the head of everything on Mobius. He wasn't there (or at least _awake_) when Earth and Mobius became one planet, but apparently, sometime after Sonic left the human's world and before the Metarex fight, both planets had crossed dimensions and became one, fully restoring the planet into the large one it is today. That means both humans and mobians were forced to live together. Since Mobius didn't have a planet ruler, or any leader at all, and the humans did, they all came up with a truce that they would all keep their respective leaders, but they would all also follow under the one Resistance Leader, who, with Mobius' Resistance and the Earths' G.U.N., led the entire planet's Resistance.

This was because Eggman was now a threat to everyone, and no one wanted things to go from bad to worse. The Resistance was the entire world together against the evil doctor. Even Abraham Towers, the Commander of G.U.N., had to answer to the Resistance Leader.

"Yeah, you didn't know?" Knuckles asks sitting up, surprised. "You work for G.U.N…and I mean, don't you and Sonic hang out?"

Shadow frowns and looks away. "He...doesn't talk about it."

Knuckles watches the hedgehog with curious eyes. "Everyone agreed that since Sonic was the number one fighter against Eggman, and knew him better than anyone, that he would be best to lead everyone. Of course, he didn't want to at first, but he doesn't trust G.U.N."

"I knew that, at least," Shadow answered. "He has a right to."

Knuckles gives the hedgehog a lopsided grin. "So he's not mad at you for getting him arrested? Twice?"

The Ultimate Lifeform rolls his eyes. "No, he's not. It's not my fault the humans are all blind."

The echidna chuckles, then looks away with a deep frown. "I hope he's okay."

"What could be causing his energy to not heal him?" Shadow questions. It was something that had been on his mind constantly.

"I don't know," the guardian sighs. "I've thought about it, too. Considering Eggman's robots can use Chaos Control - which should be impossible - I'm guessing the Death Egg robot making contact with Sonic caused it. I don't know how."

Shadow scowls and looks away. It seemed as if he could never get any answers.

"You two on a date?"

Both males jump and turn to the white bat and pink hedgehog walking up to their table from behind, the former of the two females smirking proudly.

"It's about time you showed up," Knuckles snaps, ignoring her comment. The white bat rolls her eyes, putting a hand on her hip.

"Oh, for the love of-! Can't even say hello?"

"We don't have time for banter," Shadow snaps. "Have you found anything?"

Rouge looks back at Amy, who looks away defeatedly.

"I'm afraid not," the jewel thief sighs. "We've looked through the bases that were newer, but didn't come across anything."

The two girls join them by sitting at the table, Rouge resting her head in her hands tiredly.

"I can't believe it's been two weeks," she says somberly.

They all go quiet, tension falling over them all like a thick, cursed blanket.

The sound of the city passes them by as if everything was normal, as if the Hero of Mobius and his best friend hadn't been brutally kidnapped and taken away by the world's most terrifying villain.

"Tails had said before that Sonic wasn't healing as fast as he normally does," Amy brings up quietly. "Is he going to be okay?"

"We think something corrupted his energy," Knuckles says just as quietly. "I didn't really notice it when we were fighting the robot, but when we had checked up on Sonic and Tails that night, we noticed his energy wasn't healing him at all."

"Did he say anything about it?" Rouge asks, looking between the two males. "Anything at all?"

Shadow shakes his head. "None of us could tell for sure. If he knew anything, he didn't say."

"Sonic never says anything when he's hurt, though," the echidna grumbles. "He's too damn stubborn."

"All of you boys are," Rouge smiles fondly. "Your egos are apparently more important than your health."

Shadow looks down, while Knuckles gives her a bitter look.

"I'm not so sure," the black and red hedgehog speaks up. "I wish I had gotten a better feel of his energy, but it felt familiar to me."

The bat raises a brow. "How familiar? Your memory isn't completely restored yet, you know."

He gives her a small scowl. "I remember enough. The energy I felt from him that day felt similar to the energy I felt sometime during the fight against the Metarex, I'm just trying to remember _when_."

Knuckles sits up slightly. "What do you mean? What kind of energy?"

"You felt it," Shadow states simply. "I don't know how to describe it, because I didn't get that good of a feel of it. I do remember it wasn't good."

"That fills me with _so _much hope," the guardian mumbles dryly.

"So...what's the plan?" Rouge asks tiredly.

"Keep doing what we're doing," Knuckles answers pointedly. "There's nothing else we _can _do. We need to keep searching until we find them. Normally we would be able to track Sonic's Chaos Energy, but with him being drained, that's impossible."

"No doubt the doctor planned for that," Shadow mutters.

"Wait," Amy speaks up. "Weren't you guys talking about how the robots can Chaos Control?"

Shadow and Knuckles exchange looks, before looking back at her questioningly.

"Yeah, what about it?" Knuckles presses.

The pinkette gives him a sideways smile. "Isn't that Chaos Energy? Can't you guys track that?"

Both males' mouths fell open. Obviously, they hadn't thought about that.

"Where would you be without us?" Rouge asks with a laugh. She scoots her chair back and stands up, smiling at the pink hedgehog with her. "Ready to go?"

"Yep!" Amy chirps cheerfully, happy she could be of some use.

Shadow and Knuckles had recovered from their stupefied moment and stand up, both glaring lightly at the girls.

"Keep in touch," the echidna says, to which the girls smile.

"Always," Rouge purrs.

* * *

The hedgehog let his feet drag as he walked a little ways away from the fox, until he was out of sight. He sighs, watching his breath leave him into the cold, late evening air, shivering as the wind blew between the trees and through his fur. Other than the sound of dead leaves rustling and the fox not far away digging through the ground, it was quiet.

How did it get this bad?

He stares blankly, thinking about everything that's happened…the fight in the city that first damaged him, the kidnapping, the torture, the escape, and now…

Now he was withered down to whatever it was Eggman wanted him to be.

Tails was acting different, too. Tougher, strict, older…treating him as if he would shatter any second, now.

He was weak, pathetic, helpless. With his injuries and not being able to heal, not being able to fight, he was just a chain ball attached to Tails's leg. This wasn't how it was supposed to be… _He_ was the one that was supposed to be fussing over his little brother; protecting him from any and all danger, getting them home safely.

Yet it was as if their roles really _were_ reversed.

His knees give out and he collapses, his eyes burning. He feels something trickling down his muzzle and realizes he's crying.

He couldn't even control his emotions.

Normally he would shove everything down inside, hiding it from the world to be the hero they needed him to be. He hid his pain and his sadness to be the beacon of hope to not only the people he protected, but to Tails. To give the fox the confidence that Sonic would always be there to save him. With his Dark Chaos Energy there, however, he couldn't do it. Couldn't stuff down his emotions because if he did, it would be the fuel that turns him Dark.

He couldn't turn Dark, and so all he could do is let the emotions out.

What if…Tails got fed up with him? Realized he didn't need Sonic and just left him? Didn't feel like taking care of him anymore and abandoned him? Left him behind just like everyone…

_"Power that people don't understand or need will be hunted. Why do you think G.U.N. has Shadow in their grasp? To contain him when I'm eliminated. They'll go after your friend there, or maybe...his very so-called friends will be the ones to do it."_

_"I would never-"_

_"Oh, fox… You'll be the first."_

Is this what Eggman had meant?

Tails would…

Tails was going to leave him. No matter what happens, he would lose Tails. If he went Dark, Tails would fight him. If he didn't, Tails would leave him behind. It was all planned.

_"You shouldn't make promises you won't keep."_

That's what Eggman had told Tails, after the fox had promised that no matter what, he would be on Sonic's side.

He hadn't sensed a lie, either.

Eggman was going to win. It would all be over. No matter what, Tails would leave him.

_'Tails is going to leave me. Tails is going to leave me… "_

"Sonic!"

He jumps, not realizing the fox had been shaking him.

The blue hero had been sobbing and breaking down and he hadn't even realized it. He inhales sharply, trying to stop, but it only makes him cry more.

"Oh, Sonic," Tails murmurs, pulling him in close for a tight hug. "It's okay, I'm not going to leave you."

Had he been talking out loud?

He can only continue to cry. He couldn't stop. He could feel his energy reacting, waiting for him to try and fight his emotions so it could take control of him.

"Sonic," Tails calls, "it's okay. It's okay, buddy."

Sonic barely registers it.

Tails watches with tears in his own eyes as the hedgehog makes himself as small as possible, curling into him and burying his face in the fox's chest, sobbing and heaving and shaking uncontrollably.

Sonic was terrified of being abandoned, he realizes. Terrified of losing him.

He understood, though. Sonic had always been alone. Back before he was seen as a hero, people treated him terribly. Everyone was afraid of him and his blue fur and his powers. They threw him out, village after village, city after city. He was hurt and abused and utterly alone. It took months, and even years to get the hedgehog to trust him, and even still, it seemed Sonic was still just as afraid as he was then.

Eggman knew this.

That's why he told them what he had. To get under Sonic's skin and make him think he was still alone, that everyone would abandon him and he would never have anyone love him again.

He was _wrong_.

He feels tears leave him as he pulls his brother closer, petting him and whispering softly to him.

"I'm not going to leave you, Sonic. I _love_ you. You're my everything and you always will be. I'm going to protect you the way you've protected me all these years," he murmurs, reaching for Sonic's chin to lift his head up. Those green irises were glazed over, whites of his eyes red, tears falling down his face in a never ending stream. Blue ears were pressed against their owners head, and the hedgehog's entire body was trembling, this time not from the cold. They meet eyes, and the broken hero makes a tiny sob, clinging on to him as if it would save his life.

It would.

"No matter what you think, no matter what Eggman says, I'm always going to love you, Sonic," the fox declares. "I'm never going to leave you. I _promised_ you that. You're my family. My best friend. My _brother_. It's okay to let me take care of you. It's my turn to show you what I can do." He wipes at the hedgehog's tears, giving him a small smile. "It's going to be _okay_, Sonic."

Sonic just stares at him, seemingly shell shocked, tiny hiccups leaving him as tears continued to fall down his cheeks.

It was at that moment that Tails truly realized… Sonic was just a child who wanted to be loved and protected, too.

* * *

The burrow wasn't the best, but it was enough to shelter them from the wind and the cold. After calming his brother, Tails had helped him back to their spot, then quickly gathered up leaves and sticks to throw in the burrow and cover the entrance. He pulled Sonic in with him, then into his arms to wrap his body and namesakes around him. Sonic was quiet, not having made a sound since he had stopped crying.

"Are you okay?" Tails asks quietly, meeting emerald eyes with his own topaz ones. Sonic nods, face reddening slightly.

"Y-Yeah," was his soft answer. "I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing for everything," Tails sighs. "I know you're scared and upset about everything, and it's okay to be. I'm just happy you're letting me help you."

Sonic looks down, bottom lip pulling down in a small frown.

"Hey," the golden fox says softly, getting the blue hog to look at him again. "I love you, Sonic. I always will."

The hedgehog didn't sense a lie there. He swallowed and nodded, feeling his throat tighten. He didn't want to cry again, but he could feel the tears slipping. Tails pulls him against him, hugging him tightly.

"I promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're switching to every other week until further notice. If we can get updates out each Friday, we'll push to, but if we can't make it, we'll wait until the Friday after. It's just been a mess with this virus going around.
> 
> I saw a bunch of you followed us on Twitter! That's so awesome! Let me know if there's anything in particular you guys would like to see on there. Whether it's Q&A or anything else, I'm open to suggestions. Any art we do for the stories will be up on there.
> 
> Again, thank you guys so much for the continued support. I'm really happy with how this story is turning out. We planned out how we want to do it, and have come up with how exactly. If you reread Chapter One, you may have noticed we added "Part One" to the title. Instead of having a sequel, we're going to split this story into three main parts. It's going to be a very long story, I'm guessing over a hundred chapters. With the way we're planning it out, having separate stories really wouldn't fit the way the plot is going. I hope you guys are ready~
> 
> Stay safe!
> 
> -AnonymouxSonic


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight -**

_Some time ago…_

_The hedgehog grit his teeth as he watched from his hidden spot up in the trees._

_He had kept an eye on the little yellow fox, following his day to day and learning more and more about him. He didn't know why he was doing it at first, but now he didn't care. Something in his gut told him that kid was in trouble, and he never ignored his gut's advice. That motto was only being proved right as he stood there._

_"Please!" the fox - for whose name he had completely forgotten and had just labeled as 'Tails' - yelled out. "Please leave it alone!"_

_The object in question was another one of the kid's inventions. The hedgehog had learned very quickly that 'Tails' was extremely, unnaturally smart, which he assumed was a gift of being a kitsune. The kid was always tinkering, always building neat gadgets and things that had their own specific, handy uses. The kid was only three, yet had the intelligence that would put the oldest professors to shame._

_He liked him, as much as he didn't want to admit it. They had too much in common._

_The fox lived in the town's orphanage, where the other kids would bully and harass him. They called him a two-tailed freak, a witch, a demon, but Tails stayed strong. Sometimes the abuse would get too much, however, and the hedgehog would find a way to help him and scare the bullies off without being seen._

_The kid was so lonely, so sad, but did everything he could to create a happy little world for himself and stay alive._

_Today, things were going to change, the hedgehog decided. He had enough of it, and watching the scene play out in front of him was all it took to convince him to do what he knew he needed to._

_"Why should I?" a kid bear taunted the fox, glaring at him. "You're a threat to everyone here!"_

_"No I'm not!" Tails cried out._

_The kids holding on the golden kit's arms snickered._

_"Break it," the one says boldly._

_"No!" the fox screams, struggling to break free._

_The bear raises the invention over his head, ready to smash it._

_He almost doesn't notice the hedgehog landing in front of him until he's about to let go of it._

_"Ahh!" the kid calls out, jumping back in shock. "I-I-It's you!"_

_"You're back!" Tails calls out to the hedgehog, eyes lighting up with hope at the sight of the blue male._

_The hedgehog crosses his arms and glares darkly at the bear, who stood, shaking from head to toe._

_"I-It was just a j-joke," the kid tries. He puts the invention shakily on the ground, backing away quickly. "H-Here!" After setting it down, the kid turns and runs away as fast as he can. The two boys holding Tails's arms let go and run as well, screaming._

_With the bullies gone, the hedgehog picks up the invention and turns around, walking over to the fox. The kit was staring at him in awe, and smiles brightly when the blue male places the invention in his hands._

_"Th-Thank you," Tails says almost too quietly. "A-Again."_

_The hedgehog kneels down so they're level in height, tilting his head and gesturing to the invention._

_Tails beams. "This? This is a mini generator! It can take sunlight and turn it into energy! It's only a prototype, though, so it can't hold the energy or anything." he explains, his voice light with enthusiasm._

_The hedgehog tilts his head in slight interest. That reminded him of…_

_He shakes the thought from his head._

_Turning to look behind him, he sees they're all alone, the village just outside the trees they stood under quiet._

_He looks back at the kid, frowning. How to ask? The kid was smart, but did he know sign language?_

_He supposed it wouldn't hurt to try, and with hesitance in his movements, he holds up his hands and asks, in signing, 'Can you understand this?'_

_The fox's eyes light up. "Yeah! I've read lots of sign language books!"_

_Relief flooded the hedgehog, and he nods. 'Did you want to go back there?' he asks, tilting his head as he does so._

_The golden male frowns. "Back to the village?" When the hedgehog nods, the fox looks away, ears folding slightly. "I mean, not really. Everyone thinks I'm…" he trails off, looking down sadly._

_The hedgehog knew then, that this was going to be something big. He holds up his hands, taking the fox's and standing up, pulling him in the opposite direction of the village._

_Tails stares with wide eyes. "You...You're offering me to go with you?"_

_The cobalt creature nods._

_"I…" the kid breathes, unbelieving. "You… You're okay with me?"_

_The hedgehog raises an eyebrow at him, before gesturing to himself._

_Ah, right. This guy was a blue-furred hedgehog. That was probably more abnormal than a two-tailed fox._

_The kid feels tears prick his eyes. Someone was reaching out to him, looking out for him, wanting to protect him. He studies the hedgehog in front of him, into deep blue eyes that spoke nothing but kindness, love, and purity._

_His gut was telling him yes. That this was a very important moment in his life._

_Something told him that this hedgehog needed him, too._

_"O-Okay!" the fox exclaims. "I will go with you!"_

_The hedgehog blinks at him, before giving him a tiny smile. He holds up his hands again, asking if there's anything the fox needed to grab from the village. Tails shakes his head._

_"No, there's nothing there that can't be replaced," the fox smiles sadly. "I'm sure the other kids already smashed whatever was there."_

_The hedgehog frowns at that, but nods. He turns to start walking, but the fox grabs his hand and stops him._

_"Hey, you never told me your name," he says through a giggle._

_The hedgehog stops, then frowns. After thinking for a second, he kneels down and writes his name in the dirt between them, not knowing how to sign it._

_Tails smiles. "Sonic," he reads out loud. The hedgehog looks at him in what looked to be slight surprise, as if hearing his own name for the first time in forever. "Sonic the Hedgehog," the fox says. "It fits you really well."_

_Sonic stares at him for a long second, before turning quickly to hide his face. He doesn't respond in any way as they walk away from the village towards his burrow, Tails clinging on to his hand the whole way._

* * *

The heavy sound of robots woke them up.

They both jump up, clinging on to each other with wide, nervous eyes. They could hear the heavy machines stomping around, slowly and methodically. Tails carefully detaches himself from Sonic, giving him a look of 'it's okay,' before quietly sneaking up to the entrance of their burrow. They were deep enough to where scanners shouldn't reach them, but the robots were here for a reason.

_'Sonic's Chaos Energy,' _Tails thinks grimly. Like a Chaos Emerald, he could be tracked, despite what little energy he had. He peeks through the brush covering their hiding spot and sees three robots stomping around, searching heavily. He couldn't tell if there were any more than that, but he didn't hear them behind their burrow.

They could make a run for it, he thinks. He would have to fly them as fast as he can.

What if they planned for that, though? Most likely Eggman would have upgraded the robots' boosters after their escape. Flying might not be fast enough. He grits his teeth and quietly slides back down the hole to Sonic, who's eyes were wide and ears folded back.

_'How many?' _he mouths. Tails shakes his head.

_'I don't know,' _he mouths back.

They needed to move, fast. They needed a plan.

Sonic reaches for him, getting his attention. _'Let me run,' _he mouths, and Tails's eyes narrow.

_'No.'_

The hedgehog bites the inside of his cheek. The robots above could be heard getting closer.

_'We don't have a choice,' _he signs this. _'You can't outfly them. I can get us far enough away.'_

The kit takes in a deep breath, signing back. _'You're going to hurt yourself.'_

Sonic rolls his eyes. _'I'll be hurt more if we're caught again.'_

He was right. Getting caught wasn't an option.

To let Sonic run, though… The thought of the hero getting hurt even more… The robots above were almost on top of them.

The hedgehog taps the fox's hand. _'We need to go.'_

Tails curses inwardly. There was no choice. Taking in a deep breath, he nods.

Sonic sits up, wincing as he put weight on his injured leg, and grabs the fox's hand.

_"I'll catch you when you fall," _Tails whispers. Sonic meets his eyes, and for a split second, emerald green eyes turn sapphire blue. It was gone before the fox could fully register it, but he could swear on his life he saw it.

They both take in a deep breath, meet eyes, and nod.

Then Sonic jumps through the ground.

Dirt flies up everywhere, blocking the robots' views. The two land on the ground a few feet away, Sonic yelping as his feet touched the ground. The robots turn, scanners falling over them.

"HEDGEHOG LOCATED."

"Go!" Tails calls out, and Sonic, running on adrenaline, does.

A blast of wind blows the robots back, as the hedgehog takes off. It wasn't near fast enough to break the sound barrier, but it was fast _enough_.

Tails held onto Sonic's hand tightly, watching his brother like a hawk as he ran. He can tell the hedgehog was excited to finally run, but he was in excruciating pain. He wouldn't be able to run for long.

He runs them straight, then changes direction. He does this every so often, trying to shake the robots from their trail. Tails watches as the forest becomes a blur around them, the world unable to keep up with Sonic.

It's maybe twenty minutes later Sonic starts to slow, and his breath becomes heavier. Tails knows it's time, and spins his namesakes, pulling Sonic backwards. The hedgehog falls into his arms, and without stopping, Tails continues to fly them forward, abielt at a much slower pace.

Sonic shudders against him, burying his face in white fur.

"You did good, Sonic," Tails praises him. "Now rest. We should be safe now."

* * *

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_̷̹̦̩̇͊͛̉_

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* * *

He shot up with a gasp. He felt cold, but sweat was matting his fur and causing him to itch. He looks around with wide eyes, trying to assess his situation.

"Sonic?"

He looks over at the fox, meeting sky blue eyes with his own frightened emerald ones. "T-Tails?" he chokes out.

They were in a cave, if it could even be called that. It was a small cubby practically underground in a tower of boulders and dirt. It was too perfect. Tails shuffles over to him, reaching for his face and holding it gently.

"You okay?" the golden kit asks. "Nightmare?"

Sonic gives a shaky nod, answering both questions at once. He was still trying to process where they were, Tails could tell.

"It's almost sunset," the kid explains. "I found this place and figured it was a good time to stop. You've been out all day."

"Robots?" Sonic asks, voice shaky. Tails shakes his head.

"No, we're still in the clear."

The hedgehog relaxes somewhat, and Tails moves to sit behind him and pull him into a comfortable embrace.

They sit in silence, Tails petting through blue quills to help comfort his shaken brother. The howl of cold wind outside was getting louder, snow flurrying passed the cave's entrance, only some making its way in. Sonic shivered and Tails wrapped his namesakes around him.

"Did you have a nightmare?" he finally has the courage to ask, and watches as the hero's ears flatten.

"Yeah, but I don't remember it," Sonic's voice was quiet, but sounded honest.

"You want to talk about anything?" the golden fox asks in return. "Anything bothering you?"

"No," the hedgehog murmurs. "I just want to get home...or…" he sighs. "I almost forgot our house was destroyed."

The fox nods, leaning his head back against the cave wall. "Yeah, that's been bothering me. I guess we need to come up with a plan."

"For now, just getting to Mobotropolis is the plan," Sonic says, yawning in between sentences. "Then calling for help."

"Yeah," Tails sighs. "We should call Knuckles first, then G.U.N.."

"Unfortunately," Sonic grumbles

The yellow fox raises a brow, smiling slightly. "Don't you want to see Shadow?"

Sonic rolls away from him, ignoring the pain in his side and leg, grumbling to himself as Tails laughs.

"Hardy-har," the hedgehog huffs at him, cheeks pink. "Who's to say _he'll_ show up?"

"If _you're_ the one calling," Tails smiles warmly. "I'm sure he'll break his neck to be there in a second."

"You need to stop talking," Sonic grumbles, putting his hands over his ears.

The fox giggles and then holds up his arms, motioning for Sonic to come back to him. "Let's rest for a little more. It's still snowing too much to go out."

Sonic frowns, studying the fox carefully. He was a little sour from the teasing, Tails could tell, but he looked cold and uncomfortable. The golden kit wiggles his fingers some, trying to tempt the hero back over.

Sonic sighs and gives in, crawling over and curling into the fox's arms, burying his face in the younger one's chest and closing his eyes. Tails smiles and wraps himself around his older brother, holding him close to protect him from the cold. He pets through blue fur on the top of the hedgehog's head, running his fingers in soothing circles around soft ears - something he's done since they were younger.

He thinks about all they've been through, and wonders how Sonic could fear the fox leaving him. Has he ever done anything to make Sonic feel like that? He couldn't think of anything, and he would never go out of his way to hurt Sonic like that. Maybe it was just Eggman's words, making the hero paranoid and scared. Maybe it was just past trauma catching up to him. Tails breathes in deeply, before letting out a sad sigh.

He only hoped things would get better soon.

* * *

They walked through the snow and dead branches begrudgingly. Tails couldn't fly anymore for a little while, having overdone it these past few days. Sonic demanded he walk, despite the obvious pain he was in. He would only let Tails carry him when it was time to fly again.

The sun was hard to see with the snow and clouds blocking it, but Sonic seemed to just know where it was and how to navigate them in the right direction. Years of running around in unknown terrain prepared him for situations like this. Tails let him lead, confident in by his older brother, taking notes to help himself learn to be able to do like him.

"There's no animals," Sonic said after some time, almost spooking the fox. "Or rings."

"Or even any winter berries," the fox suddenly realized. "That's strange...the Great Forest is known for winter berries."

"That's what's worrying me," Sonic sighs. "There's nothing out here to help us. It's all gone."

"Do you think…" Tails starts thoughtfully. "Do you think Eggman had something to do with it?"

Sonic shrugs. "Maybe. It's possible he sent his robots through the forest and cleared it all out, especially if there were rings out here. It's possible he…" the hedgehog stops, a look of realization falling over him. "He probably knew there was a chance of us escaping, so he cleared it all out to prevent us from getting any kind of help."

"That…" Tails murmurs. "That sounds just like him."

"That means he knows this area," the hedgehog frowns deeply. "That means anything within these woods is Eggman territory. If we come across people here, they might be working for him."

"Or prisoners," Tails adds. "That means we shouldn't use any technology in case it's a trap."

"Yeah," Sonic hums. "Anything could be tracked, someone might sell us out, or he might have spies in populated areas. We need to be very careful, and not trust anyone completely."

The fox looks down at the ground, brows furrowing. "That means we can't call for help."

"No," Sonic sighs. "I just wish I could warn Knuckles. No doubt he's looking for us and the Master Emerald is in danger."

Tails gives his brother a sympathetic look. "I'm sure he's prepared. Nothing like this has ever happened before, so everyone's on guard."

"I hope so," Sonic mumbles. "I should have kept my mouth closed."

"Don't even start with that," Tails chides. "I'm amazed you were able to hold back for so long. I don't think anyone would be able to do what you did. Don't blame yourself."

Sonic's frown deepens but he doesn't say anything, instead letting his ears fold back to let Tails know he didn't want to talk about it anymore.

They continue to walk silently, both feeling glum about their situation. Tails wondered if he could fly again soon, watching the way Sonic limped and grimacing when the hero would wince or hiss under his breath. He almost opens his mouth to suggest they fly, but Sonic stops abruptly and holds up a hand to stop him, ears perked forward and alert.

Tails tilts his head, and listens himself.

There was…noise up ahead. Noise that sounded like…

"There's a village," Sonic speaks quietly. "There's robots there, but people, too."

"Then Eggman really does own this area," Tails says, speaking just as quietly. "What do we do?"

"Let's check it out, but be careful," Sonic murmurs. "Maybe we can scavenge."

The fox nods, and they begin to move quietly towards the town.

They see it as they creep through the trees and bushes, and as Sonic had said, there were both robots and people. It was mostly mobians, but there were some humans as well. They all looked sad, miserable, and scared, trying to avoid the robots as much as possible. Their clothes were worn and dirty, many of them running around and working on whatever the robots ordered them to do.

"Sonic," Tails whispers sadly. "They're slaves."

"I know," Sonic whispers back, watching from behind a tree. His hands were twitching, as if just itching to run out and help the people and rescue them.

"We can't help them right now," Tails says gently. "Sonic…"

"I...I know," the hedgehog rubs a hand over his head. "I know."

He sounded so upset.

They watch the town, both thinking of what they should do. There weren't too many robots, but they were there, and most likely knew to look out for Sonic and Tails. They couldn't risk being caught, but they needed food, water, supplies…

"H-Hey," Sonic suddenly whispers out. "I know those guys."

Tails blinks in surprise. "Who?"

Sonic points out two mobians, one a black cat in purple garbs, and the other a dog in eccentric, but worn clothes.

"Who are they?" Tails asks. Sonic's brows furrow.

"That's Ebony and Pyjamas. They're traveling Resistance members, but it looks like they were trapped here," he explains. "They're both extremely powerful in majick, and helped me out a couple times before. I wonder if I can get their attention somehow..."

Tails frowns, both trying to think of a way to get the girls' attention.

Sonic watches them walk in their direction, the two eyeing the robots. The chances of being caught were too high. He frowned, trying to think of how to reach out to them.

A sick, unsettling idea came to mind.

He swallowed, glancing at Tails in the corner of his eye. He would have to be super careful not to be noticed by him. It was extremely dangerous, but he reminded himself he could handle it if Tails was there.

He takes in a quiet breath and focuses. Feeling that dark energy just lurking in his chest, waiting to be released. He lets only a tiny, tiny bit out, letting it travel in the direction of the two girls.

They both stop.

Pyjamas grabs Ebony's elbow and whispers something to her, before turning around and walking away. Ebony turns her head afterwards, and locks eyes with Sonic, shock somewhat evident on her face.

"She sees us!" Tails whispers, looking over at his brother. Sonic nods, relief flooding him. He immediately snaps down on his energy, not wanting to risk it getting out and taking over him.

The black cat carefully starts making her way towards them, avoiding the two large robots standing nearby. She sneaks through a small crowd of people, and when the coast becomes clear, she bolts over to the two heroes, motioning for them to follow her.

"Quickly," she whispers, pulling them along.

She guides them through and between buildings, avoiding robots and other people, and soon they make it to a small home near the back of the village. She ushers them in through the back door, and as they walk in, she closes all windows and curtains, locking the doors.

They're led into a living room of sorts, decorated with a few couches and a fireplace. The cat sighs, turning to the two boys now in her home.

"Sonic the Hedgehog," she says, voice filled with warmth. "I wish I was seeing you again under better circumstances."

Sonic smiles lightly. "Me too," he says, the exhaustion in his voice very noticeable. He gestures to Tails, who smiled and piqued up.

"Hi, I'm Tails," the kit greets cheerfully and shakes her hand. She smiles fondly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Tails. I'm Ebony, the Resistance leader of this village," she introduces.

"You settled here?" Sonic asks, sounding surprised. "I thought you guys didn't like to sit in one place for too long."

She looks away, looking grim. "That's correct. Pyjamas had a vision however, and she wanted us to move here. Not long after, Eggman took over the village, and then we heard of your kidnapping." She looks back to them with a worried frown. "At least I know why we're here, now. I'm glad you escaped, but…" She pauses, glancing over Sonic's injuries. "It appears you've already suffered too much."

Sonic flushes and looks away, absentmindedly playing with his quills. Tails speaks up then, sensing his brother's discomfort. "Can you help us? Sonic needs patched up, and we need help figuring out how to get to Mobotropolis."

Ebony nods. "Of course. Supplies are scarce, but Pyjamas is out getting what she can for you both. I have medical supplies that I can spare for you two, and there's a room you both can rest in for the night."

"Thank you," Sonic speaks up tiredly.

She smiles softly at him. "If you don't mind, I'd like to look at your quills. They're severely damaged."

The hedgehog flushes again and nods, looking away. Tails gives her a grateful look. "You can help them?" he asks.

"Maybe," she says. "If the ends are frayed, they'll split all the way. I want to make sure they don't get that bad." At the fox's curious look, she smiles. "Pyjamas and I like to work on hair as a small side job. Quills are very intricate but not far different." Turning, she motions for the two to follow her into a bedroom.

"The bathroom is there," she says, pointing it out to them. "Take as long as you need. You can leave your clothes by the door and I'll wash them."

"Thank you," Tails smiles.

"Rest well. I'll see you both in the morning," the cat replies warmly, leaving them be.

Tails takes in a deep breath, then sighs. He exchanges looks with Sonic, who seemed just as relieved.

"Let's clean up," the fox suggests, taking Sonic's hand. "We've gotta redo your stitches."

"Fun," the hedgehog grumbles.

They step into the bathroom together, and the fox can feel his brother tense up at the sight of the shower. He had a feeling that was going to be a hurdle. Putting that thought aside for now, the fox closes the bathroom door and has Sonic sit on the toilet seat, pulling off his own gloves and beginning to unwrap whatever was left of the bandages on the hero's torso.

Sonic is quiet the entire time, wincing when his injury is touched. The wound looked bad, the stitches mostly torn and the injury looking far worse than it should.

"I wish we had a Chaos Emerald," Tails says sadly.

"We'd find rings before we found a Chaos Emerald," Sonic states dryly. "I don't think we're going to get any Chaos Energy anytime soon."

The golden fox's ears fall flatly. "Yeah, I figure."

Tails continues to remove all the bandages, cringing at the sound of Sonic's pained grunt while working on his leg. Afterwards, he helps him take off his shoes, noticing the golden buckle on the hero's left shoe was completely gone, broken off sometime in the chaos. The white strap was just hanging loose now, so the shoe itself was loose on Sonic's feet.

"We'll have to replace it," Tails thinks out loud. Sonic shrugs.

"I have my Soap shoes, still. I'll just use those."

The fox gives him a questioning look. "Why did you stop wearing those anyway? I thought you liked them."

"I do," the blue male defends, pulling off his gloves. "That's the reason I hid them. I didn't want them to get ruined."

"You like them more than these ones?" Tails asks in surprise, putting them aside. Sonic looks away, cheeks slightly red.

"Yeah," is his only answer.

Why would he be flustered about it? Tails wonders. He only wore the shoes once, and that was…

He smiles as he realizes it.

"They have good memories?" he asks teasingly. Sonic purposely avoids his look.

"Yeah," he murmurs softly.

The fox chuckles. For someone that was always on the go, Sonic was extremely materialistic. He had a good reason to be, though.

He thinks about their house and the two planes, and feels sad. Sonic must sense it, because he looks at him immediately, concern scrawled all over his face.

"What's wrong?" is his quick question.

Tails smiles. Sonic was so pure.

"I'm thinking about the planes," he admits, to which Sonic looks down, ears falling.

"Yeah, I have, too."

"We'll have to rebuild," the fox says, turning to open the shower doors.

"Again," the hedgehog adds.

Tails looks back at him with a small smile. "That'll be nostalgic."

Sonic gives him a tiny smile back. "I guess."

Tails turns on the water, seeing Sonic jump and flinch in the corner of his eye. He sets the temperature, then gets out of his own clothes, before reaching for his brother.

"Come on, there's a bench in there," he says gently. "I won't have the water running the whole time, but you need cleaned up before we work on your injuries."

Sonic eyes the water in the shower hesitantly, his short quills slowly flattening against his head.

"Y-Yeah," he stutters out.

He lets the fox guide him in, being mindful of getting the water directly on the wounds and not hurting the hero further. He sits Sonic on the stool before grabbing a washcloth just outside the shower, working on the hero's side injury first.

Sonic hisses as water touches it but doesn't say anything. His fists clench tightly and he leans back against the shower wall, looking up at the ceiling.

Tails tries to be quick and gentle, knowing with the water running the hero was ten times more uneasy than he would normally be. When he finishes the first wound and moves on to the leg injury, Sonic grunts painfully, his leg flinching sharply.

"Don't kick me," Tails chides gently. Sonic grits his teeth.

"I won't," he manages with a weak voice.

Once the wounds are clean, Tails helps wash the blue hero up, not wanting him to hurt himself anymore than he was. Washing through damaged quills caused many dead ones to fall to the drain, both of them trying to ignore it. Tails was impressed with how well Sonic was handling the water, telling him this as he rinsed soap out of quills.

"As long as it's not in my face or my mouth," the hedgehog answers.

After Sonic is washed up, Tails gets him out of the shower and helps him dry off, before setting a towel on the ground for him to lay on. It's then time to restitch up the hero's wounds, which he does after finding a first aid kit sitting outside the bedroom door.

Once new bandages are wrapped around Sonic, and a stern talk about not ripping the new stitches is had, Tails guides Sonic to the bed, telling him to sleep while he showered himself.

About twenty minutes later when he gets out of the bathroom, Sonic is out cold, sleeping heavily under the blankets.

Tails smiles and joins him, holding him close as they slept in the last bed he was sure they would sleep in for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight update to this chapter.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine -**

_Some time ago…_

_"Sonic, why do your eyes change color?"_

_The blue hedgehog turns his head from the red biplane to look over at him, eyes flickering between green and blue. It was happening more and more every day, especially ever since they got that Chaos Emerald._

_"I...don't know," the hedgehog says very softly. His voice was coming back, but he could only talk so much before he started coughing up blood. That was something Tails was still curious about, but unless they found a doctor, they'd never know why. Sonic didn't speak often, but Tails was trying to encourage him to try. It seemed to be going well so far._

_The little golden fox hums, tilting his head to study his friend. "I wish I had grabbed those biology books. Although…I have no idea if those would explain why your eyes are so unique."_

_Sonic shrugs, looking away._

_They've known each other for a couple months now. So far all he knew about Sonic was that he had a vocal cord issue, his eyes changed from blue to green a lot, he had no memory of his past or where he came from, and he was dead set after chasing down the evil human genius known as Dr. Ivo Robotnik. He still had no clue why Sonic was so set on catching him, but they have yet to even see him in the time they've been together. Sonic was also looking for the mystical gems known as the Chaos Emeralds, known to grant miracles to the person who found and wielded them._

_From what he can gather, Sonic wanted to use the Chaos Emeralds to stop Robotnik. They had tracked their first emerald to a place called Green Hill Zone, and Tails saw with his own eyes that the rumors about Robotnik were true; the evil human was using animals and mobians as fuel for his robots. He had watched Sonic run off, destroying the robots and freeing the animals with his amazing speed and fighting skills, slack jawed in wonder._

_He wanted to help, but had no way of keeping up with the blue blur. His job was to look after and take care of the Tornado, Sonic's beloved biplane. The hedgehog was very protective of it, always leaning over the fox's shoulder when he worked on it. Tails hoped Sonic would let him fly it one day, but he had to earn his trust first._

_He didn't mind it at all. Sonic was so interesting and inspiring. The hedgehog went out of his way to help animals and mobians that would spit on him because of his differences, and was always making sure Tails was happy and well taken care of. He was very ambitious in his goals to stop Robotnik, and despite Tails having a hard time keeping up with him, Sonic always turned around to help him._

_"We need to go," Sonic caught his attention, kneeling on the ground in front of him._

_Tails smiles. "Where to?"_

_"Knothole," the hedgehog answered simply. "Chaos Emerald there."_

_"Okay!" the fox chirps cheerfully. "Is that far from here?"_

_Sonic shakes his head. "We're running," he answers, standing up. "The emerald is in the village. We need to be careful."_

_"Have you been there already?" Tails asks, watching Sonic turn and grab a decent sized bookbag._

_"Yes," the blue male replies, putting on the bag and flattening his quills. "Didn't go in. Scanner says the emerald is there."_

_Tails walks over as Sonic kneels down, hopping up and inside the bookbag comfortably. "So we have to be sneaky," he says in a hushed voice._

_Sonic nods, a serious, tiny frown on his muzzle._

_The hedgehog leads them out of their cave, starting slow as he ran them in the direction of Knothole._

_It takes them only a minute before they're there, and Tails jumps out of the bag and kneels next to Sonic in some bushes near the town's entrance. They sit together and watch as the quiet town turned their lights off for the night, and Sonic points to the small castle in the center, still dimly lit._

_"It's there," he explains. "In the castle."_

_"Woah," Tails breathes. "How will we get in? There's guards everywhere."_

_They watch the guards walk along the castle wall, but further inspection through the windows seemed to show there weren't many if any guards in the castle itself. Sonic frowns, feeling out for the Chaos Emerald. He could feel it in one of the upper floors, and he ushers for Tails to follow him around the large structure._

_They find a tiny, hidden path in some bushes and follow it towards the castle. The path seemed to be well used, despite being hidden, and as Sonic was wondering if they should even be on it, someone came around the corner and smacked right into him._

_The hedgehog let out an offended grunt, holding his nose. Tails yelps and jumps back, and they both tense as they take in the appearance of the person._

_A young girl chipmunk mobian, looking Sonic's age, stared back at them in shock. She was wearing a blue vest, blue boots, and her cherry brown hair was short and messy. She stared at them with wide, blue eyes, in some sort of trance._

_"Hello?" Tails questions, causing Sonic to snap his head back towards him, a harsh "shush!" leaving his lips. The young fox startles lightly, putting his hands over his mouth. They weren't supposed to be friendly to strangers._

_"I'm sorry!" the girl finally says, shaking her head quickly to dispel her trance. She pushes herself to her feet, dusting herself off. She then smiles warmly at the two, gesturing to herself. "My name's Sally. I have to say, I wasn't expecting to see you here, blue hedgehog."_

_Tails looks at Sonic questioningly, and the hedgehog himself frowns deeply at her._

_"You're the princess," Sonic states. Tails gapes at him and Sally looks only a little surprised._

_"I don't want to be," she admits, looking away. "I want to help fight, but my father won't let me."_

_"Robotnik?" Sonic questions. She looks at him and nods._

_"Yes. I've heard rumors of him looking for our town, and I want to fight." She studies the hedgehog a moment longer, then smiles again. "I heard about you, fighting against Robotnik. You're the only one that is."_

_Sonic blinks rapidly and Tails smiles. This girl didn't seem bad. Sally's eyes suddenly lighten up._

_"You should come meet my father!" she exclaims. "Everyone in the town wants to meet you after you saved Green Hill!"_

_Sonic takes a step back, his defensive up. "No," he says sternly, a hint of irritation in his tone._

_"No?" Sally repeats, stunned. "...but...why? You're a hero!"_

_Sonic looked completely baffled, his brows furrowing. He opens his mouth to say something, but chokes and coughs, covering his mouth with his elbow._

_"E-Easy," Tails says softly. "You've been talking a lot."_

_Sally gives him a concerned look and Sonic brushes it off._

_"-m fine," he gets out, voice raspy. "We need the emerald."_

_"The emerald?" Sally questions, before her ears perk up. "Oh, the Chaos Emerald! We found it near the town and brought it in a couple days ago."_

_"I need it," Sonic repeats. "To stop Robotnik."_

_The girl studies him, giving him a gentle smile. "Okay, I'll get it for you...on one condition," she says, making Sonic glare at her. "You meet my father. The entire town has a lot of respect for you, hero."_

_Sonic looks conflicted. He shakes his head. "I'm not meeting them. I need the emerald."_

_Sally gives him a curious frown. "Why? I don't understand."_

_"Umm," Tails speaks up hesitantly. "It isn't usually safe for us to go into towns."_

_Sonic gives him a look for speaking to her, but the girl now has her attention on the young fox._

_"Why is that?" she asks, not understanding._

_Sonic frowns suspiciously at her, but lets Tails continue to talk._

_"Well…" the fox starts hesitantly. "I mean…we're not…" He stops, looking at Sonic's uncomfortable expression, seeing him uneasy. He feels an urge to protect him from something, and looks at Sally again. "People don't usually accept us because of our differences."_

_Sally stares at him for a long minute, her gaze flickering between the two boys, and her expression softens with what seems to be sympathy._

_"I can't believe you two have had problems," she admits. "We get all kinds of different people here in Knothole, so we're use to it but…" She looks at Sonic, watching his brows furrow slightly. "I can swear on my family's name that our town is different. I know you still don't believe me, but all I can do is promise to you that you won't be rejected here. It'll be the opposite, if anything."_

_Tails looks up at his brother, watching him study the girl very carefully. Was…his fur darker than usual? He couldn't tell with it being nighttime, but for a split second, there appeared to be a wispy, black aura around the blue hedgehog. Sally didn't seem to notice, and it was gone before Tails could truly confirm it._

_Sonic looks down, taking in a deep breath._

_"Okay, but we need the emerald."_

_Seriously?_

_Tails couldn't believe it. How could Sonic tell she was being truthful? How could he believe her? Sonic never trusted anyone._

_The princess lights up. "Okay! Oh, but...uh…" she stops, scratching the side of her face sheepishly. "We can't go now. I'm not supposed to be out at nighttime, but I snuck out so…"_

_Sonic raises a brow, and she smiles._

_"You guys ever heard of winter berries?" she asks playfully._

* * *

The echidna followed his black and red companion with a curious stare, his brain wheels spinning all together trying to figure him out.

"What's up with you and Sonic?" he finally decides to ask.

They were walking through thick trees and shrubs, following an energy signature they detected somewhere nearby. The sun leaked through the trees, occasionally filtering across their faces and reminding them that time was continuing by...and they still had no idea where Sonic and Tails were.

The Ultimate Lifeform doesn't even look back at him as he responds. "We're…friends," he answers in monotone.

Knuckles's brows furrow. "Just friends? You two spent a lot of time together on the Blue Typhoon."

Shadow stops, looking back at him with brows furrowed and eyes widened slightly, a tiny scowl on his muzzle. "He saved my life," he says sharply. "I owe him that much."

Knuckles only frowns back at him. He didn't think the Ultimate Lifeform would ever feel as if he owed someone anything. "There's no need to get defensive," he decides to say. "It's just, Sonic's my best friend, and I'd hate for him to add anything like heartbreak to his list of terrible things that have happened to him."

Shadow relaxes somewhat, but he still looks irritated. "What makes you think that would happen?"

"Sonic doesn't spend that much time with anyone other than Tails," the guardian says, crossing his arms. "Then when you came along for the first time, the only thing he cared about was getting near you. He even let G.U.N. arrest him just because he had heard you came from Prison Island."

Shadow looks down, thinking to himself.

"Then after we thought you had died," the echidna continues, "he took it really hard. He wasn't himself for a while, and ran off before anyone could ask him if he was okay. When we found out you were alive," he continues, crossing his arms, "Sonic was the only one not brooding or surprised by it. He was pretty damn excited to see you alive. Then he finds out you had lost your memory and didn't even know him, and he relapsed."

Shadow didn't seem angry anymore. Knuckles keeps going.

"Then during the Metarex battle, something really strange happened," he says, taking a step closer. Shadow's head shoots up, his eyes widening, and Knuckles confirms his suspicions. "There was a surge of Chaos Energy that felt like a Chaos Control, and then I had massive deja vu," he watches Shadow tense as he continues. "Sonic then saves you, drains you of your energy and puts you back on the ship. He then goes and tries and fails to save Cosmo. After it's all over, the two of you hole up in his room and don't come out until we're almost home. So…" he finishes, "what happened?"

Shadow was extremely tense. So it was true, Knuckles thinks with furrowed brows. He needed to hear it though.

The black and red hedgehog looks away, his fists clenching. "I promised not to tell anyone," he says in a quiet voice.

"I think I already know," Knuckles huffs. "He went back in time to save you, didn't he?"

* * *

_He's standing in nothing but darkness. It's black all around him, nothing as far as he could see. What was happening? Where was he?_

_"̴̲̤̲͇̹̎̚S̶̨͍͓̜̹͎̠͍̫̊͑̾̉̄̀̂̎́̕ô̷͔̣̭̦̟͍̥͙͚̭̄́̃̊͒͊̎̿͆͝͝ņ̴̧̯͇͔͙͆̋̊̏́̈̂͛͜͝ĭ̴̦̙̤̞̘͖͉̠͖̀̇̈͘ç̸͚͈̈̂͂̂͊̊͊.̵̩̖̘̌̃̄"̶̪̈́͑̒͑̚͝_

_The voice seems to be coming from all directions. He doesn't know who it is, but he could feel something terrible from it._

_Pain._

_"̷̢͖͙̯̈́͝ͅͅH̸̡͓͙̬̱̻̣̣͖̞̼͖̔̏̏̊͑̒̔̇͗͝ę̸̢̛̞͍̹͕͇̟̂̉̓̐͒́͑́͠l̴̛͙̖͍͈̥̜̳̺̜͐̍́͊̔̊̂̾̆͐͂p̸͎̀̀̔̂̋͝ ̸̰̺̾͘m̷̘̟̟͚̗͎͇͈̎͒̏̍̾̽̎̓̉ȩ̸͎̮͉̜̤͕̞̟̘̙̈́͑̽͛̃̓͊͑̏̓͂͠ͅ,̶̢̗̜͍͍̬̙̼̫͙͓̦̂̈́̇͐͐̑̄͘͠͝ ̸̥̘̉̏̈́p̵̥̦̜̟̦̥̏̀̃̾͑̉̔̾̋ͅͅĺ̶̥͎̭̤͕͈͓͈͜e̷̦̖̭̋̉͛͆ą̸̩̬̼̖̯̺̈́͛͗̑́̕̕s̷̱̻̖͙̯̠̗͗́̑̏̒̓͗̚͜͝e̷̖̬̺̥̓̈͑̕.̷̧̨̥̰͔̗̑̅̓̆͗̀"̵̥͍̬̣̘̩̼̉͒̃_

_"Who are you?" he yells out, walking forward a few steps. "Where are you?"_

_"̸̢̺̻̻̓̋̐̆͆̆̍ͅI̴̳̗̘̓͋̀̊̊̊̽̈́̈́̚ť̵͉́́̈'̵̡̙̫̟̊̍̌s̵̰̫͖̐͋̈́̉ ̴̫͔̰̪̃͐g̵̡̟̬͕̳̮͌͜ó̸̙̤̟̿̀͂͜ĩ̷̡͎͓̰̗̫̙̲̟̓̓̈́̚ͅn̴̢̛̠̤̝̍̅̈̏̋̀͂͘͝ġ̵̨̗͍͙̭̯̥̞̇̊̍͘ ̵͚̲̩̲̯̤͑̽̔̆t̸̺̻̗̞̤̲̰̆̅̋̍͑͑͋͋͘͝o̶̘̱̚ ̵̳͙̝̑̒̒͊̃͘̚͜k̵̘̼̦̝̤͇̼͘į̶͔̳̮̪̼͛́̇̍̌̏͛́̚l̴̛̪͚͑̋̑̉̓͜l̷͉͙͈̬̙̯͇̈́̇̐̋̍̍̉̎͜͝͝ ̷̬̹̦͚̞̅̆̈́̄̽̍̈́̔̉y̶̼̲̫̒͆̄̍̔̈̄o̷̪̠͇̬̯̒̉̓̽̍͌̚͘͝ủ̸̯͍̰͖̟̬̅̊ͅ ̸̧̡͕͙̰̗̲͚̈́̉͒̒̅́̒̐̐̚b̸̢̛̗̮̘̘̰̙̪̈́̉͒͘͝ͅo̵̺̬̟͕͙͋́̽̈́͆̂͌ẗ̶̨̪̟͓̥́͒̈́̌̓͛̈́̅͂͝h̶͚̲͓̤͋͆̅̆͝.̵͇̩͇̜̘̫̱͎̭̓̆"̸̥̫̗͊̇̎͌̅͗̿̕͘_

_"What are you talking about? Who?" he yells back, getting quickly frustrated._

_"̵̣͆͆Ḩ̷̯̪̞̩̙͚͓̩́̐̌̋̇̉̚e̷̩̞̗͉̒͂͘ĺ̶̢̦̩͓̞p̸̨̢̛̯͕͖̗͉̩̜̞͗̂͂͝͝ ̶̧̝̩̦̗̊̉̅̊ͅm̸̢̭͚̗̿ë̸̤͖̠̪́̔,̸̜͋̂̑̍̚̕ ̴̢̜̗̰͕̺̠͕͚͛̃̏͆̀͝S̵̢͎̳͕͓̯̠̈́̍̑̅ơ̵͙͍͕͖̯̘̗̥̜̩͂̍͆̓͗̐n̷̳̆̓͆͘̕ị̸̢̯̥͛́͋͌͆͛̉͝c̶̠̺͍̟̻͈̞͙͒.̴̡̨̧̝̣̬̮̰̜̰͑͂́̆"̸̠̭̿̈̋_

_"̴̧̪̬̝̩͇̻̻̝͔͋̈́̆̀͂̆͋̾́͘H̴͓̬̝̽̀͋̈́̾͒͜e̵̗̳̪̺͋͂͊̈̆̃̆̚ḽ̵̡̲̲̰̐̽́͗̈́̉̚p̶̩͙̫̱̝̬̅ ̴̥̣̳̱̘̮̞͚̪̲̎̐͐̎́̄͑͘̕m̵͖̍è̸̥͙͚͇̘̭̮̝̓̽ͅ.̵̧̛͔̳̳͔͎͔̰̓͒̄́́̅̽͌̇"̴̼̞̣̩̻̙̗̰̹̲̓_

_̴͕͌_

_̵̨̝͓̲͕̟̭͔̓͐̅̓͑̎_

_̵̧͉͉͖̥̝͉̯̲͙̑̿̇̒͑͘H̸̛͇̬̗́̒͑̎ę̴̞̯̩̗̮̯̝͐͐͝l̶̢̫͉̮͊̈́̎̕ͅp̶̠͋͐̎̒͗́͌̀͒̊_

_̴̥̫̩̇_

_̵̢̛̼̟̠̹͙̭̙͍̭̐m̴̻͓̘̹̮̳͒̈̏͌̌̀̃̿̋e̴̲̖̽̑̐̋̎̌̇_

* * *

"Ahh!"

He sits up quickly, arms flailing and limbs catching in the sheets.

"Sonic! Sonic, hey," Tails calls next to him, reaching for him and holding his arms steady. Sonic's pupils were dilated…

...and his eyes were dark blue.

"Sonic?" the fox asks carefully, watching his brother look around frantically, ears twitching at every sound and his cut quills standing straight upright. His fur was ruffled and matted with cold sweat, and his chest was heaving with each breath he took. "Sonic," he tries again, reaching for him and pulling him close in a hug. The hero makes a strangled whimper, and Tails shushes him softly. "It's okay," he murmurs. "It was just a dream."

Sonic curled into him, closing his blue eyes and letting out a shaky breath.

The sun was starting to peek through the windows, and Tails takes a moment to calm his own frantically beating heart. Sonic was having nightmares again.

Gods, he hated Eggman.

Still, the fact that his eyes were changing color again…after all these years. The fox frowned deeply. The last time Sonic's eyes had changed was so long ago he had almost forgotten about it. He wondered what was causing it to happen again…

They sit in silence for a few minutes, listening to birds chirping outside their window. Tails hoped that meant warmer weather today.

Looking back down at his brother, the kitsune shakes him gently. "You okay?" he asks quietly.

Sonic nods, pulling back and looking away. His eyes were still blue. Tails lifts a hand and turns Sonic's head to get a better look.

Blue irises with daggers of sharp green speckles. They were very pretty, but confusing.

"What?" Sonic asks, voice raspy.

"Your eyes are blue again," Tails tells him.

Those eyes widened, and then Sonic was quickly scrambling out of bed, only hesitating to wince at his injuries, quickly going inside the bathroom to look in the mirror. Tails follows him, noticing the way Sonic's leg shook in slight pain.

Sonic stares at himself with disbelief. Why? Why now? What was causing it? Did it… Did it have anything to do with his Chaos Energy? He swallowed nervously. He had no clue, but seeing blue eyes instead of the normally bright green bothered him immensely.

The specks of emerald seemed to be growing back, very slowly filling up his eyes again. It would take a few hours for his eyes to be completely green again, unless they changed randomly.

"Sonic?"

The blue hero turns to his friend, meeting worried sky blue eyes with his own sapphire ones. "Y-Yeah?" he manages.

Tails motions for him to come over, and he does, kneeling in front of him so the fox could get a better look. "I wonder why it's doing it again," the golden male ponders aloud.

"I don't know," Sonic chokes out. "I don't like it."

"It'll be okay," Tails assures him. "I'll scan your eyes when we get hom-uhh...I mean…" he trails off. Their home was gone.

"Do you still have your workshop in the Mystic Ruins?" Sonic asks softly. Tails shakes his head.

"Yes, but there's nothing there. It's empty. I had moved everything to our house when we built it," the kitsune sighs, running a hand through Sonic's short quills. "I think I still have stuff on Angel Island, though."

Sonic subconsciously leans in the fox's petting, brows furrowing. "It's not safe there."

"I know," Tails frowns, looking down. "Where are we going to go? No matter what, Eggman's going to find us."

Hell, if they had been _sleeping_ when their house was crushed, they would be dead. They could never feel or be safe.

"I...might have a place we can go," Sonic murmurs very quietly. "He won't go there."

"The island?" Tails asks, making the hedgehog flinch.

"Y-Yeah. We won't go there unless we have to, though," he answers quickly.

"What is it?" Tails asks, knowing he was overstepping but wanting to know too much.

Sonic pulls away. "I don't want to talk about it if I don't have to."

That was the end of that. Tails only nods, feeling a little disappointed. He hoped Sonic would tell him eventually.

The hedgehog stands up and walks back to the bed, turning to sit on the edge. Tails follows, stopping in front of his brother with a concerned look. "Did you," he starts nervously, knowing he was about to ask a delicate question. "Did you want to talk about the dream?"

Sonic's brows furrow and he looks down at the floor. "Not really. I don't understand it anyways."

"Maybe I can help?" the fox prods. He wished Sonic would trust him more.

"I don't…" the hedgehog begins, before letting out a frustrated huff. "No, I just want to forget it."

Tails sighs, but lets it go. There was no point in forcing him to talk.

"You should let Ebony look at your quills," he says, changing the subject. Sonic nods and stands up, and they walk to the door. As the hedgehog opens it, a bag sitting on the handle swings with it, lightly bumping against the door as it stops. Sonic takes it and sees gloves and socks inside, and he shows them to Tails who takes them excitedly. "Oh yeah! Probably shouldn't be walking around naked in a girls' home," the fox laughs sheepishly, and Sonic makes the first grin he's seen in weeks.

* * *

Sonic is swinging his feet as he sat on the edge of the short table in the living room, while Ebony worked delicately behind him on his quills. Pyjamas stole Tails away to gather supplies, and Sonic felt a bit uncomfortable being without him.

"You're not doing well," Ebony says quietly.

He frowns, watching the ceiling fan above him spin slowly around. "I'll be fine," is his curt response.

"Are you sure?" the witch asks, tilting her head at him. "You look like you're two seconds away from going Dark again."

Sonic flinches. "I can control it."

"That's what you said many years ago," the feline sighs. "If Pyjamas and I hadn't been there, Sonic…"

"I know," Sonic cuts her off quickly. "This is different. I'm not going to let it happen."

"I suppose this is part of Ivo's plan?" she asks, tossing some dead quills in a trash can next to her. Sonic looks down, not saying a word. She sighs. "When did he get so bad?"

"I don't know," Sonic murmurs. "He was actually getting better, too. Going to the human world and fighting the Metarex… Once we got back he got worse."

"I wonder what happened," she hums thoughtfully. "Why and how he got worse."

"I-" Sonic starts shakily. "I think I did something really wrong."

Ebony pauses at the scared sound of his tone. "What, Sonic?"

He takes in a deep breath.

* * *

Shadow looks away, jaw tense and fists closed tightly. Knuckles frowns deeply at him. "I'm right, aren't I?" the echidna presses. "He did go back in time."

"Yes," Shadow admits, not meeting his gaze. "In the original timeline, I attacked him and used every last ounce of my energy to Chaos Control the energy from the Planet Egg away. He was going to do it himself, and I didn't want that to happen."

"You sacrificed yourself for him again?" Knuckles questions, eyes narrowing.

The Ultimate Lifeform nods, looking down. "When I used the Chaos Emeralds with him for the second time, I regained my memories. I don't what made me feel I had to protect him, but I at least owed him for forgiving me for everything I had done."

"So you died again," Knuckles looks away, arms crossed. "He couldn't handle it a second time, so he went back to save you."

"That's not it," Shadow snaps, glaring at him. "Cosmo sacrificed herself as well. He didn't just go back in time to save me, he went back to save her."

Knuckles's frown deepens. "I get that, but why? He knew there was no way to save her, and he understood why she did it. Going back for _you_ I understand - he was capable of saving you, but Cosmo? Once she transformed into that tree, there was nothing he could do."

"You already know why," Shadow answers. "Who suffered the most from her loss?"

Knuckles froze. Realization hit him hard, and his face paled from it. "Oh, _shit_. He was feeling guilty?"

"When he returned to the ship, after it was all over," Shadow says slowly. "He had to face Tails."

* * *

The fox followed Pyjamas closely, keeping his namesakes pressed close to his body. "Is it okay for me to be out here?" he asks, looking at the buildings around him and the people that scurried quickly by. He was wearing a brown cloak over his body that was too big for him, concealing who he was as much as possible.

"It's alright, but we have to be quick," the older girl replies quietly.

She led him through the town towards the back of it, where no robots or people seemed to be. They were headed to a hidden storage area Eggman didn't know about. There would hopefully be supplies for the two brothers to take with them on their journey to Mobotropolis.

"How far are we exactly?" the kitsune asks. "Where even are we?"

"You're about a two weeks travel away from Mobotropolis," she answers almost grimly. "That is, by _foot_. To Sonic, it would only be 2 hours away, however, I'm assuming he can't run, can he?"

"No," Tails sighs in return. "He's injured really badly. I can fly at the average speed of a car, though, so…" he does the math both out loud and in his head. "I can't fly the whole time, and we'll have to stop sometimes…" He thinks about how quickly they could make it. "Maybe a week? A little more?"

"Possibly, but you must prepare for anything to happen," she advises. Tails agrees.

They make it to where a small shed sat, hidden behind a small cluster of thick trees and large rocks. Pyjamas pulls out a key to the lock on the door and opens it, ushering for the fox to run in quickly before they risk being seen.

The tiny shed was packed with barrels and boxes and tools and more. It looked like people had piled up all their valuables before the village was raided by Eggman.

"I can see visions into the future," Pyjamas explained as if sensing his thoughts. "We had everyone gather their belongings and extra food and supplies here for emergencies so the robots couldn't take everything."

"That's amazing," the fox turns to look at her with wide eyes. "Can you control what you see?"

The dog shakes her head. "I cannot. The visions happen on their own at random, and they have never led me astray."

"Did you know Sonic and I would be here?" he asks, following her over to a box that she opened and started digging through.

"No, but...I can sense that Sonic is on a very short time limit."

Tails feels chills wreak through him, and his breath catches slightly in his throat. "W-What do you mean? What kind of time limit?"

"He's in pain beyond physical," she explains gently, holding up a thick green jacket for the fox. "I cannot say what it is for sure, but you must protect him with everything you have."

Tails takes the coat and another red one she hands him, looking at them both thoughtfully, and fearfully. "I will. He's always hiding things from me, but I know that he'll tell me eventually. He's always trying to be so strong, and it's always for me. I want to protect him the way he protects me. The way he protects the world."

"You must, no matter what," the girl tells him. "That boy needs a light in his heart. Be that light."

* * *

"Does he know?" the cat asks gently. Sonic shakes his head.

"He doesn't know anything, not even about Ivo or Dark Sonic," he says shakily. "I can't tell him."

"How does Ivo know?" she questions, walking to stand in front of him. Sonic swallows.

"I don't know, but I think me going back in time really messed something up. I think I caused all this," he says, voice going strained. "Knuckles told me using the emeralds to do things like that can result in serious problems, and it even erased the old timeline."

"You mean it never happened?" Ebony asks, and the hero nods.

"Y-Yeah, and I'm the only one who remembers it all."

The cat purses her lips. "You may have abused the power of Chaos, but I don't think Chaos would have even let you do that if it wasn't meant to happen. Things will always get worse before they get better."

"What do I do?" Sonic looks back at her. "If he keeps getting worse, I'll never be able to fix all this."

"Keep fighting," the feline says, scratching behind one of his blue ears. "You need to push through this and keep strong, and you need to come clean to Tails."

Sonic's ears flatten, worry and pain flashing through his eyes. "He'll hate me…"

"Oh, he would never," she smiles lovingly at him. "Don't worry about that. He would never hate you."

Sonic looks away. "You didn't see him when I came back without her. You didn't hear him. He even said it was my fault. I was supposed to save her and I failed him twice."

"That's not your fault, and he knows that," the girl sighs. "You've got to learn and accept that not everyone is going to abandon you."

"I-I can't," he looks down, playing with the cuff of his glove. "I can't lose him. I can't do it."

"You won't lose him, Sonic," she tries. "I know you won't."

"We're back!"

The two turn to see Tails run in with two new coats in his arms, smiling happily. He runs up to Sonic and pauses to look carefully at the hero's quills. They looked much nicer. They still stood upright, and his bottom quills were shorter than the others, but they looked evened out somewhat. They were still extremely short, almost not even there at all, but at least they had a chance to grow back.

"It looks great!" the fox smiles at Ebony, who smiles back.

"Thank you. You'll have to get him some biotins to help with their growth," she says, stepping around the table Sonic sat on.

"I can do that," the fox nods, before showing the jackets to Sonic. "We got you one with a hood on it."

Sonic takes the red jacket and looks at it with a tiny smile. "It's nicer than my other one."

Tails chuckles. "We tried to find thicker coats, but this was all the storage had."

"There's food, water, and blankets," Pyjamas spoke up, pointing behind her to two large backpacks on the floor. "A map as well."

"Speaking of," Sonic frowns, "How far from Mobotropolis are we?"

Ebony and Pyjamas exchange sad looks.

"Quite a ways away," the former says. "Walking would take about two weeks."

Sonic's eyes widen and Tails turns to him. "I did out the math, and I think we can get there sooner."

"That's if we don't run into more trouble," Sonic says glumly. "I should probably run us as far as I can go."

"That's not a good idea," Ebony says chidingly. "You'll hurt yourself, and if you're attacked you won't be able to fight."

"That's what I've been saying," Tails huffs.

Sonic looks away with a scowl.

"You should get ready to go," Ebony says, her tone somber. "I wish I could do more, but…"

"It's okay," Tails smiles at her. "We can make it."

Sonic gets off the table and puts his coat on. "At least we know we're heading in the right direction. We just need to…" he stops, ears flicking.

The sound of metal stomping and pounding outside the home started up quickly. The robots must have learned they were here somehow.

Ebony's eyes widen. "They're coming. You need to go, now."

The two males gather up their stuff while Pyjamas runs to the window, looking out to see three large robots approaching.

"We'll send the Resistance to free this place," Sonic tells Ebony as she pushes them towards the back door.

"I appreciate it," she says warmly. "Be careful you two."

"We will," Tails answers.

They peek out the back door before making their escape, running into the nearby trees and sprinting away from the village. They could hear the robots interrogating the two girls as they left, and they prayed they would be okay.

* * *

"That idiot," Knuckles huffs out, kicking a nearby rock in frustration. "He abused the power of Chaos. He knows better...what was he thinking?!"

"He couldn't handle Tails turning against him," Shadow answered with a lack of emotion. "After he returned to the ship without her the first time, Tails broke in front of him, blaming him for her death. After you all returned to your world, he cracked. He said he couldn't take it anymore."

"Was Tails hard on him?" Knuckles asks, voice softer. Shadow looks away.

"Their relationship deescalated rapidly. It was to the point they couldn't be in the same room anymore. He said it all felt fake to him, and his guilt of failing Tails made him act irrationally."

"I still want to know how or why Chaos would allow him to do that, let alone _how_ he was able to do it," the echidna questions rhetorically. "What he did is beyond just the seven Chaos Emeralds. He's not a god."

"Is he not?" Shadow asks, turning to meet the echidna's surprised amethyst eyes with his own crisp ruby ones. "I was created to be _beyond_ the emeralds, and all living creatures on this planet and others. The Ultimate Lifeform...and yet when I was rescued by the doctor and discovered Sonic I doubted my own abilities."

"So you believe Sonic is something not mortal?" Knuckles asks. "As much as that would explain a lot of things, what could he possibly be?"

Shadow frowns and looks down, and Knuckles makes a couple connections in his head.

"You know something?" he presses, and Shadow shakes his head.

"Even he doesn't know what he is, but he and I both believe our pasts are somehow tied together. Maybe he is an Ultimate Lifeform like myself, or perhaps something greater." He pauses and turns, beginning to continue their walk. "Whatever he is, and why ever he was able to rewrite time completely, I'm sure we will find out soon enough."

Knuckles follows him, studying him carefully. "So, are you staying close to him just to find out what he is, or…?"

The black and red hedgehog turns and glares heavily at him. "That's my business and my business alone. Stay out of it."

Knuckles glares back. "I'm just looking out for him."

The tension between the two is heavy and practically suffocating. Shadow doesn't respond back, but continues walking, their conversation over.

* * *

They ran at what would be a normal pace for two mobians, Tails not letting Sonic run any faster. They made their way for what felt forever to them, before slowing down to stop and catch their nerves. Tails watches as Sonic leans over himself and heaves out a couple heavy breaths, and at first mistakes it for pain. Then he takes a closer look, and realizes his abnormally blue eyes were shaking.

"Sonic?" he asks carefully, reaching for him and grabbing his shoulders.

"We…won't be able to save them until we get home," the hero pants out. "That means they…"

Tails feels that same pain in his chest. The townspeople could all be roboticized or even dead by the time rescue came in.

No, they needed to stay strong.

"Hey," he says softly. "They'll be okay. They have Ebony and Pyjamas. They're strong. We'll get home and send the Resistance to save them. They'll be okay."

Sonic meets his eyes and the fox smiles at him as best he can. Sonic was made to save people, and having to run away and leave those people like that probably hurt him a lot inside. A hero never gives up or abandons those that need him.

"Y-Yeah," he murmurs back, looking away. "I hope so."

Tails smiles and takes his hand, pulling him along. "We still have a while until sunset. Let's find somewhere safe to rest so we can look at our map and get going."

Sonic nods, looking pale and worried, but he follows along without much fight. Tails thinks back to Pyjamas's warning, making an oath to himself that he would protect and take care of Sonic...no matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're back! Well...sort of.
> 
> If you haven't noticed, Chapter Eight had been taken down to be edited and fixed up a little bit for a short while. You don't have to reread it, but a few things have been tidied up. Chapter Nine is now here, and oh man...I can't believe we're almost at Chapter Ten and these boys' journey hasn't even started yet.
> 
> It's definitely thanks to Shadow for this story coming back. She's the one that not only remembered most of it, but changed up how it's going to go and is helping me write this whole thing. It's also thanks to her, that this story is getting a Comic!
> 
> The comic will be available to view on our Twitter accounts, sfw_anonymoux and our nsfw_anonymoux accounts, and our inkbunny accounts whateverSFW and whateverNSFW. It shouldn't be too much longer until our comics are being updated again.
> 
> Fanfiction Updates are once again going to be resumed every Friday. Since we're not use to our new Timezone yet, it might actually be Saturday for some people (welp).
> 
> Don't forget to kudos and bookmark!
> 
> \- Anoni


	10. Chapter 10

***Slight Warning: This Chapter might kick you in the feels. Some may be sensitive to certain topics mentioned. Please consider all tags before reading.***

**Chapter Ten -**

_Some time ago…_

_They had only spent a few hours together when Dr. Robotnik showed up with an army of robots, clearing down trees and setting everything on fire._

_The trio ran back to Knothole, warning and yelling at the villagers to run, to escape the onslaught of fire and robots. It wasn't long before the mad human himself and his robots were on the town, attacking everything and everyone in sight._

_Sonic left Tails and Sally behind to start zipping from robot to robot, slashing through every single one and taking them all out. He was a cobalt blur flying through everything, bouncing off walls and robots as if it were nothing. Tails and Sally took his lead, and soon _everyone_ was fighting back._

_Sonic targeted the largest robot, the one Dr. Robotnik himself was controlling, sitted centered in the robot's body. His blue eyes narrow sharply, watching the man scream and laugh at the destruction all around him._

_"You're all finished! Give me the Chaos Emerald, and the worst I'll do is roboticise you!" the doctor screamed._

_Sonic felt his heart rip in two at the sight._

_'Get a hold of yourself. Stop him.'_

_He mentally slaps himself and takes off without a second thought, using his body as a weapon as he curls up and slices the robot's arm off in a spin attack. Robotnik screams, turning the robot to face the blue hedgehog that dared attacked him._

_Wait… Blue hedgehog…_

_ **"You!"** _ _ the doctor snarls, pointing an accusing finger. "You infuriating little pest! You're the one taking the Chaos Emeralds and destroying my robots!"_

_The blue hedgehog's eyes widen as a set of missiles shoot from the robot's other arm. He runs and jumps over them, the missiles hitting nearby trees and a few houses. Sonic winces as he turns to run back towards the robot, hoping the people made it safely out of their home._

_"Stay still!" Robotnik screams, slamming the robot's one hand into the ground repeatedly, trying to smash the hedgehog as he continued to dash out of the way. "I'll crush you and throw you back into the lab where you belong!"_

_Sonic yelps as the robot swings and hits him, sending him flying backwards into a large, thick tree. He cries out as his back hits it painfully, his body falling limp as he crashes into the ground eight feet below. His vision was spinning and his ears were ringing, his head feeling extremely heavy. His back hurt bad, and he could feel the ground shaking beneath him as the robot slowly approached._

_"Sonic!"_

_Tails was calling for him._

_He pushes himself to his feet, ignoring the pain as much as he could. He needed to keep fighting. He needed to take down Robotnik._

_"Enough of this!" the man screams. "I'm finishing you now!"_

_Sonic takes in a deep breath, cooling his anxiety. The world slows down around him, and he focuses on one thing..._

_Tails needs him._

_He curls up into a ball and shoots himself at the robot's head, knocking it clean off. He hits a tree in his ball form and bounces off, shooting through the robot's chest and out the other side._

_"No!" the doctor screams, and it's all he can say before the entire thing explodes._

_Sonic's eyes widen as he looks behind him, not far enough away from the blast. It hits him and sends him forward a few feet, rolling across the burnt grass and hard rocks and metal. He lands in a heap and covers his ears, squeezing his eyes shut tight._

_The explosion was really loud._

_It scared him._

_Flashbacks and horrible memories crash into his mind, and he shudders and bites down his fear._

'What if he's dead?'

_The thought terrifies the hedgehog to no end. He had to know, though. He had to get up and face this._

_He shakily uncovers his ears as the sound of the explosion calms down into flames, and he sits up slowly and looks over at the robot...or what was left of it._

_Dr. Robotnik is coughing as he's slamming on his control console, inching his flying pod out of the burning pile of metal. He gets it up into the air and then looks down at the blue hedgehog._

_"You-!" he screams. "You horrid little hedgehog!"_

_Sonic doesn't know what pushes him to act, but he runs forward and grabs on to the side of the Egg Pod, making the human inside scream in surprise._

_"What-! What even are you?!"_

_Sonic feels his heart shatter completely at the doctor's words._

_Of course it had to be this way. What did he expect? What did he expect he could do?_

_No, he needed the Chaos Emeralds. Only then could he fix this. Making his decision, his eyes narrow. He pulls himself up, making the doctor flinch in fear._

_"I'm Sonic," he says, surprising himself with how strong his voice sounded. He stands tall, glaring down at the human scientist with clenched fists. "I'm Sonic the Hedgehog."_

* * *

They walked.

There really wasn't much else they could do. Sonic held on to the map Ebony and Pyjamas had given them, letting the fox know in relief that they've been going the right direction. If they kept up at a good pace, they decided they should make it to Mobotropolis within a week and a half.

It was still a long time.

It was a long enough time for Eggman to track them down and find them. It was a long enough time for the madman to attack the cities, enough time for him to go after Angel Island and the Master Emerald. It was a long enough time for that village to be completely killed off, and all those people to…

"Sonic?"

The hedgehog practically jumps when his name is called. Tails watches him with worry, knowing the hero was stressing hard over everything that was happening.

"I'm fine," the cobalt male huffs out defensively. "We just need to keep moving."

His voice is edgy and rough, the way he spoke when he was either really angry, he needed people to listen to him, or when he was in his Super form. It wasn't too rare a voice, but every time Tails heard it, a part of him shivered inside. Sometimes Sonic was scary, but he understood it and respected it. Still, he didn't like it when Sonic hid how he was feeling.

"You don't have to bottle it in," he says, making the blue hero's eyes narrow. "I'm just as worried as you are."

Something was definitely wrong…no…a lot of things were wrong. A clustered group of pink elephants were in a tiny room with them, and one of them refused to even acknowledge that they were real. He knew Sonic was hurting and that he was really upset, and that he was trying his damnedest to pick up and put on whatever pieces were left of his broken mask, trying to convince them both that he was okay.

Maybe it was because they had been isolated together for the past so many days, or simply because of what they've been through so abruptly, but he was definitely starting to see things his brother has been trying to hide.

A terrible realization hits him then.

"I'm not bottling anything up," Sonic interrupts his thoughts. "We just need to get home."

Why hadn't he seen it sooner? Why has it taken this long for him to realize it?

He swallows, but his throat is dry. He watches his brother, feeling an onslaught of guilt and grief. He stops walking and stares sadly.

He was a _terrible_ brother.

"Sonic…"

The hedgehog stops and looks back at him, his irritated look dropping into one of worry within a blink of an eye. This makes Tails feel worse.

"What's wrong?" the hero asks, turning around to face him. Tails notices that he's actually almost even with Sonic in height now. Soon he'll be taller than him. Sonic use to kneel down in front of him while they would talk, sometimes patting his head as they sat there. Now Tails was taller, so there was no point in doing that. This makes him feel even worse.

He takes note of how soft Sonic's voice became the moment his attention was centered on Tails. A complete turnaround. He feels sick now.

"Sonic, how long have you been depressed?"

The hero's eyes widen and his face pales. He stares at his brother in shock, a deer caught in headlights.

"Sonic," Tails urges him, making the blue male blink, narrow his eyes and shake his head.

"What are you talking about?" he's very agitated again. He always gets angry when defensive.

The golden fox sighs, looking away. "Sonic, please don't do this…"

"Do what?" the hedgehog snaps. "I'm fine, Tails! I don't know where you're getting this from!"

Tails frowns, looking back at his brother with slightly furrowed brows. He stares directly into the hedgehog's half blue, half green eyes, wanting to pierce through and get in his head.

He's successful; Sonic falters, ears folding and a _very_ worried frown pulling his lips. _How_ had he not noticed how _bad_ Sonic was at hiding his emotions? He wants to smack himself in the head _so_ _hard_.

"Sonic," he starts roughly, making the hedgehog flinch. "You're pretending that you're okay because you don't want to worry me, because you think that if I do I'll leave you."

Sonic opens his mouth in shock, before gritting his teeth nervously. His hands that are holding on to the straps of his bookbag are tightening. He fidgets in place, trying to think of what to say, how to run away from this. Tails won't let him; there's nowhere to run.

"You bottle everything up and pretend that nothing ever bothers you because you're a hero," Tails decides to continue, making Sonic's eyes widen in fear. "You put on a mask to hide your problems because you don't want people to think bad of you. You're scared of being hated and you think that the moment people don't need you anymore they're going to leave you-"

"Tails-!" Sonic shouts, his voice breaking. The fox takes a step forward, raising his voice.

"You think that no one cares about you and that if you do one bad thing we're all going to leave you!"

"Tails!" Sonic yells again, trying to shut him up.

"You're incapable of being happy because you're so afraid of being hated, so you hide the real you away thinking no one would notice!"

Sonic doesn't say a word, but the green in his eyes is completely gone, and his hands are shaking at his sides. He's been caught so badly.

"Do you really think I hate you?" the fox asks, feeling his throat tighten. "That all this time I've just been using you?"

Sonic takes in a sharp breath, looking away and blinking rapidly.

_He's trying not to cry…_

Tails feels his own eyes burn. "Sonic, I'm so sorry. I should have noticed this sooner and fixed it with you."

"There's nothing to fix…" Sonic whispers, rocking back and forth on his heels, stomping his toes every time he rocked forward. He wants to run, but he can't so he's feeling claustrophobic. If he continues to be backed into a corner he's going to break. Tails knows this.

"The signs have been there from the beginning," he continues. "You've never trusted people. You only ever showed kindness to people you saw suffer with your own eyes. You saw everyone as an enemy because you were treated so badly because you were different." He watches Sonic scowl, still refusing to look at him. "Somehow when you did make friends, you convinced yourself that we would all leave if you weren't perfect, so you developed an obsessive compulsive disorder and became a perfectionist."

Sonic is visibly shaking from head to toe, his ears pinned back against his head.

"You worried that one day everyone would hate you and leave you and you would be all alone. You crave affection and want to be loved and taken care of, but have never had that...so you're depressed and so scared that you'll be abandoned and…" Tails wipes the tears spilling from his eyes with his sleeve. "You said you have amnesia from your childhood but I don't know if I believe you," he says shakily, trying to stop crying. Sonic turns slowly and sits in front of a tree cross legged, looking down with his hands in his pockets. Tails continues on. "You've always had terrible nightmares, and I know it can't all be from living on your own. You've never mentioned any family, you got extremely upset when I asked if you had parents…" He pauses to breathe for a short second. "You've always spoiled me and treated me with so much care, always being my hero when I need you to be, but you've never had a hero. You never had anyone take care of you, you've never had someone to protect you, you've always had to fend for yourself, and because you're so pure and goodhearted, you tried to treat me the way you wanted to be treated."

Sonic subconsciously pulls on his hood, trying to cover his face. Tails feels his heart cry.

"I should have been more thoughtful, Sonic," he sighs, walking over to kneel in front of him. Sonic still refuses to look at him. "I should have pieced together everything and stood up to you and protected you, the way you've been protecting me. I'm a _terrible_ brother."

"Th-that wasn't…" Sonic's voice is so soft and strained. He shakes his head.

Tails reaches for him, pulling him into his arms and hugging him tightly. Sonic takes in another sharp breath, his body trembling, and it isn't from the snow or chil cold wind around them. Tails wraps his namesakes around them, hugging his brother tightly.

"I'm sorry, Sonic," he murmurs. "I'm not going to sit around anymore. I'm going to be there for you, too."

Sonic coughs, and Tails leans back enough to grab his brother's face with both hands, forcing him to look at him.

"It's okay, True Blue," he says.

Sonic breaks. He coughs again and turns his head, a sob leaving him and his body shuddering. He's still trying to fight it, and Tails pulls him back into a hug, holding him tight.

"It's okay, Sonic."

* * *

He doesn't know how long they sit there, but eventually Sonic passes out. The exhaustion of everything that's happened, along with being called out for his own mental problems, caused him to cave in to sleep. Tails took advantage of the situation, and carefully picked him up, not before taking off the hero's bookbag and putting an arm through it. He wouldn't be able to fly as fast, carrying Sonic and two bookbags of supplies, but he knows this is a golden opportunity, and flies his best anyway. He takes off, Sonic only groaning softly in his sleep.

He thinks back to all the years he's known Sonic and all the signs he had missed.

There were many nights where the hedgehog would wake up from a night terror, screaming and kicking, sometimes crying and panicking over something only he could see. He refused to talk about his dreams, and after being asked three times, the hero started finding places to sleep away from Tails.

He would stay awake whenever they were together, at home or on the run, and only sleep if Tails wasn't there or if he found a private place to sleep. When they built their home, they made the walls as secure as they could, so any sounds were silenced. Only then did Sonic sleep at night, each of them in their own rooms.

He hadn't thought his brother was still having nightmares, but Sonic was good at hiding things. He was a master manipulator and knew how to make things seem perfectly fine, even if they really weren't. He knew how to hide his problems and throw on a smile and claim everything was okay, no one ever questioning him and shrugging any weird behavior off.

All the times Sonic ran off for a "vacation," he used the excuse that he just wanted to see the world. Sometimes he took the Tornado, not wanting to risk running across the oceans, but refused any company from Tails or their other friends. He was a loner, not ever wanting too much company, running off when there were too many people around him at once.

Of course, he had a weakness for people with problems. He was always helping people with all kinds of issues, whether it was simple tasks or saving their lives. When the thank you's and compliments got too much however, he would run off immediately.

Sonic was a hero because he was a good person who just wanted to be helped, too.

Somehow he was able to convince himself that no one actually liked him, that he had to earn everyone's appreciation and someone's love. That the moment his hero facade slipped everyone would turn on him.

...why?

The fox's initial thought was that it was because of how strangers treated him before he became "The Hero Of Mobius" or the Resistance Leader. Before anyone knew who he was, how amazing he was. They saw his blue fur, his super speed, his strength, and feared him. He was thrown out of city after city, by either those that were afraid of him, or by those that wanted to capture and experiment on him, not to mention the creeps that thought they could make a good fortune out of him.

There were no other mobians on the planet with cobalt blue fur, no one with the ability to run at the speed of sound, not to mention how rare hedgehogs typically were. Sonic grew up running from the people he would eventually save; people that use to spit at him completely turned around and praised him.

_'That's got to be a reason,' _Tails thought with a deep frown. _'...but it's not enough.'_

He would think having a tight circle of friends - himself, Knuckles, Amy, Cream and Cheese, Vanilla, the Chaotix, and now even Shadow - would have helped Sonic see that he was cared for and appreciated. Were they not enough?

Yeah, at first he thought it was just because of how he was treated by strangers, but it had to be something deeper. Someone close to Sonic, someone from the hero's past, had to have turned on him. Betrayed him or hurt him.

It wasn't his only theory, but it was his biggest one.

He also blamed himself. How could he not? He was so use to being taken care of he failed to realize that the person taking care of him was just a kid, too. Just a boy that didn't have anyone or anything and was hurt so deeply, but tried to cover his messes so Tails, their friends, and the world could walk on a red carpet.

Going after Eggman or any other villain alone, not letting others help him in a fight, lifting the entire planet on his shoulders and saying he was fine so no one would question it.

Tails swallows. He should have questioned it.

What else didn't he know? How much was Sonic hiding? If Sonic has suffered this long with fear, anxiety, depression, obsession, how messed up was he? How much was he hiding and how close was he to snapping?

The kitsune takes in a deep breath to calm his nerves.

They would get home, they would stop Eggman and save the town. Then they were going to help Sonic. He didn't care if he had to lock him up to stop him from running away, but they were going to fix this. There was no way he could let this go on.

Sonic groans in his sleep, and Tails presses a kiss on his forehead.

"It'll be okay, big brother. I'm gonna help you," he murmurs gently.

* * *

It was cold up in the mountains, even for the Ultimate Lifeform. He pulled his black G.U.N. jacket tighter over him but refused to zip it up, not wanting to get his chest fur stuck in it (again). He followed Knuckles at a brisk pace, the two taking their time climbing the steps to the city of Chun-nan. It was snowing harshly, the wind blowing fiercely. If they tried to run they'd be blown down the mountain.

"Shouldn't take much longer," the echidna ahead of him calls.

Good, the biohog thinks bitterly.

They were on their way to the Master Emerald because the guardian had a feeling something was wrong. He was paranoid that something worse was going to happen with Sonic and Tails captured, and along with the idea that maybe Tikal and Chaos could help somehow, they made their way to Angel Island.

As they turn a corner up the steps, they both come to a halt, eyes narrowing.

Something felt...off.

"Do you feel that?" Knuckles asks, and Shadow's eyes widen.

Chaos Energy. Lots of it, but something was very _wrong_ with it.

Then the top of the mountain explodes.

The sound is deafening, the ground beneath them shaking violently, large bolders, rocks, snow, and dust exploded downwards, making the two mobians run up faster, both scrambling up the steps as fast as they could go.

Shadow growls in frustration as he almost trips; his skates didn't like steps. Knuckles ahead of him smashes a bolder that lands in front of him, only looking over his shoulder to call for the hedgehog to move.

As they near the top, they see the cause of the explosion.

"Oh no," Knuckles gasps out as they reach the gate. "How did he find it?!"

The Eggman robots were here.

They were teleporting in with their purple energy, destroying everything in sight. The people of the city were running and screaming, trying to find shelter. The robots were grabbing people and throwing them into machines; small cells littered everywhere.

"No!" Knuckles yells, running up into the town.

"You idiot!" Shadow calls after him, tackling the guardian to the ground and pinning him down. "Get ahold of yourself!"

Knuckles fights him, but isn't able to move much with his face against the ground and his arms behind his back. "The Master Emerald-!"

"They already have it!" Shadow yells back.

As if on cue, another loud explosion shakes the mountains, the sound of Angel Island landing in the ocean and smashing into the side of the mountain making even the robots lose their balance.

"We need to leave!" Shadow calls, pulling the echidna up.

"The town..!" the red male starts.

"We can't help them now! These are the same robots that took out Sonic and Tails. We can't find them if we get caught, too!" the biohog yells back, pulling the guardian back down the mountain.

"-but..!" Knuckles hisses, looking back as Shadow pulls him, watching with gritted teeth as the town is destroyed.

Shadow was right, there was nothing they could do. Eggman not only took Chun-nan, but Angel Island and the Master Emerald as well.

"W-We'll come back," he growls, following Shadow.

They run down, taking cover inside a cave. Shadow calls G.U.N., and Knuckles collapses on the ground.

_'How? How did he find the island?' _he thinks, staring up at the cave ceiling. _'Sonic and I were the only ones who knew…'_

"Knuckles," he hears, and looks up at Shadow, who looks just as shaken up. "G.U.N. is on their way, but it's going to take a couple hours."

"Are you serious?" the echidna questions exasperatedly. "They can't get here faster?"

"This continent isn't a part of the United Federation," the biohog replies coolly. "The closest base is in Adabat."

Knuckles sighs and looks away.

They're both quiet, the faint sounds of explosions in the distance.

"Thanks for stopping me," the echidna says after a minute.

"Just don't be reckless," the hedgehog snaps back irritably. "I thought you said this place was hidden from the doctor?"

"It was," the guardian scowls. "Sonic and I spent _hours _looking for the best place for the island. We decided Chun-nan was literally it since he knew it really well, and there was no reason for Eggman to come here."

"Then _how_ did he find it?" Shadow questions. Knuckles throws his arms up.

"I don't know! Sonic and I were the only ones who knew, so unless Eggman forced him to talk, I don't know!"

They both go stiff and silent.

"Sonic wouldn't talk," Shadow grumbles, but he sounds doubtful.

"I…" the echidna mumbles, looking down. "It's possible. He could use Tails as blackmail to get information out of Sonic."

Shadow crosses his arms, looking down and closing his eyes. "...he _would_ talk then."

Knuckles puts his head in his hands. "That means anything Eggman wants to know Sonic will tell him. Everything, including where the last emerald is."

"Then G.U.N. is compromised as well," Shadow sighs. "The doctor planned this very well."

"If we don't get Sonic back we're screwed," the echidna states, pushing himself to his feet. "Eggman's actually winning."

"Then we should hurry," Shadow answers. "We need to-"

He's interrupted by his communicator going off.

_"Shadow, are you there?"_

"Rouge?" Knuckles and Shadow say at the same time, both looking into the communicator.

_"We got a problem here in Adabat. Eggman is here."_

* * *

The girls watch the monitors next to a group of soldiers, the screens showing the camera footage of robots raining down from portals in the sky.

_"He's there?! Eggman himself?!" _Knuckles calls through Rouge's com.

"Oh yeah," the bat sighs. "He's here himself. He's taking out everything."

_"He definitely planned this," _Shadow growls. _"Looks like it'll take longer for G.U.N. to get here."_

Rouge looks at the boys on her screen, raising a brow. "What's going on with you?"

_"The doctor has robots here, he's taken the Master Emerald, and Chun-nan is being destroyed."_

Rouge pales, and Amy looks over at the communicator with wide, frightful eyes.

"He's taken the Master Emerald?!"

_"You need to get out of there," _Shadow states. _"Those robots are powered by some strong, unknown energy. We cannot fight them as we are."_

"Are you saying the only way to fight them is with the Chaos Emeralds?" Amy asks, and the black hedgehog nods grimly.

_"There's no other way. We need to prioritize finding Sonic and Tails. There's no point in fighting a losing battle."_

"I can't believe it, but he's right," Rouge hums.

The alarms in the base start blaring, the Eggman bots having breached the walls. The computer screens flicker, before Eggman's logo appears on each one. The soldiers in the room begin to panic, trying to get control back over their computers. The screens flash to Orbot and Cubot, who seem to be in the doctor's base.

_"All your base are belong to us!" _Cubot yells. Orbot pushes him out of the way, taking up the entire screen.

_"We're deeply sorry for the inconvenience this may cause, but this G.U.N. base now belongs to his excellency, Dr. Eggman. You now have approximately five minutes to surrender or evacuate before it's destroyed. Have a nice day!"_

The screens shut off, and everyone bolts for the doors.

"I'll call you back!" Rouge yells into her com as she and Amy run, following the soldiers down the halls.

_"Rendezvous at Apotos," _the black hedgehog responds curtly, hanging up right after.

"He's attacking here so Chun-nan is defenseless," Amy thinks outloud as they make their escape. "He's starting to take over the world."

"We won't let him win," Rouge assures, flapping her wings furiously. "We've got to find Sonic and Tails."

A robot crashes through the wall in front of them, making the soldiers scream in surprise and fire at the robot. It's large, and made of the same black metal and diamond of the Death Egg robot that hurt Sonic. It's glowing with dark purple energy, and none of the bullets hitting it seem to be able to penetrate it.

"We can't fight it, just run!" someone yells.

Rouge and Amy do so, along with some of the soldiers. A set of G.U.N. beetles fly down the hall, distracting the Eggman robot for the group to escape.

"What's the plan?" Amy asks, sparing a glance behind her to see the beetles get annihilated by the robot.

Rouge focuses ahead, eyes furrowing in concentration as she runs. "We need to get a ship or helicopter and fly to Apotos!"

"Yes, but _how?"_ the pinkette questions, making Rouge curse inwardly.

"I don't know, we'll improvise!"

* * *

His feet tap the ground without a sound, and he carefully sets the grate in his hands against the wall on the floor. His yellow eyes dart up and down the hallway, the chameleon ninja being wary of any possible ambush. So far it seemed the coast was clear.

Espio pulls up his wrist to look at his communicator, opening his map of the abandoned base.

The place hasn't been empty for too long. In fact, this was the last base Eggman had been physically seen in before Resistance forces took it down. It was hard to break into, even abandoned, with all the traps and a few robots lurking around still.

A light blue mark appears on his map, signaling a source of Chaos energy nearby. He frowns at it, wondering if the doctor was still here, still using this base.

There was only one way to find out.

He makes his way down the hall, running quietly and swiftly, peeking in doorways and stopping occasionally to listen for danger. He makes it around a few corners and down another short hall, stopping at the end of it to a large, broken door.

He looks in cautiously, peering around the dark room. Power still ran in some areas, leaving lights flickering spontaneously and making loud, whirring noises. He doesn't see or sense anyone nearby, so he steps in, over what's left of the door and onto broken, crunchy metal flooring.

There's a desk on the far wall, a few tables set up in the middle of the room, and a strange capsule machine with clear wires running to it on the back wall. He steps up to it, brows furrowed. This room was highly disturbing. Other than the containment tank in front of him, there were also tools, scissors, scalpels and more laying around. Dirty cloth pieces lay everywhere, and a line of cages lined up the back wall.

_'Did the doctor perform experiments on people?' _the Chaotix Agent thinks with a scowl.

He felt a cool grip on his back, making him tense up and look around quickly. No one was with him, but he felt as if someone was lying in wait in the darkness, watching him with malice intent.

_'The Chaos energy signal…' _he remembers then, looking at his communicator. It said it was right in front of him…in the desk. He walks over to it and looks at the computer, noticing its screen was dark, but not off. He finds the mouse against the wall and wiggles it, turning the screen on.

A white page greeted him, almost surprising him in the dark room. A bubble was in the center, asking a question:

_"Proceed to Format System Memory and initiate Self Destruct Sequence?"_

_"Yes/No"_

Espio stares.

No way.

It appeared Eggman was forced to evacuate before hitting the button, or maybe he thought he did and didn't. Either way, this was an _amazing _find.

He hits "No" and the system cancels, returning back to the home screen. File folders were all across the desktop, but one was open…

_"The Chaos Project"_

"What the hell…?" he whispers, looking through the folder. Text documents, video files, images, and so much more. This was more than golden, this was too good to be true.

He stops randomly, looking for a file to open.

_"Sonic"_

Oh?

It was a text document, one he opened with morbid curiosity.

There was a lot of text.

_"Dearest Grandfather,_

_"Sonic isn't doing very well. I'm afraid to even think it but, I think you were right about someone working against us. I think someone is hurting him but he won't tell me._

_"I've tried to question him multiple times now, but every time I do he shrinks away and becomes scared. I've installed a new security system throughout the entire island, but I'm afraid we might not have much time._

_"My Assistant, Professor Adam, will be leaving in a few months to return to Earth and begin the transfer process ahead of schedule. I just think it's best we start moving you all here before Earth and Mobius come together into one again. I'm worried that if we don't hurry, something terrible is going to happen._

_"As for Sonic, I'm hoping having a friend like himself will help him out of his shell. I swear, if someone has hurt him...I will lose my mind. I see what you meant about having a son._

_"Please do nothing rash in the meantime. We can't afford any more trouble from G.U.N., or alien monstrosities from nearby comets. We must remember to keep the little ones in mind when we do things that may potentially danger them._

_"I miss you all very much. Sonic is very curious to meet you all. It'll only be a few more months._

_"Stay safe,_

_"- Dr. Ovi Kintobor"_

Espio froze.

Ovi Kintobor?

Why did that sound like…?

He looks closely at the name, and he feels his mouth dry.

It was.

Dr. Ovi Kintobor was Dr. Ivo Robotnik.

* * *

_Some time ago…_

_"Are you excited, Shadow?"_

_The black hedgehog looks up at the blond hair girl in front of him, tilting his head. "Excited for what?"_

_Maria smiles brightly, practically glowing in the dark room. They were supposed to be sleeping, but instead they sat on her bedroom floor, building paper animals with the light of the Earth to guide them. "Did Grandfather not tell you?" she asks, raising a brow. "When he gets back from his trip, we're going to Mobius!"_

_Shadow blinks, brows furrowing in confusion. "Mobius? The 'Earth' in that other dimension?" He didn't know much about it, but Maria claimed it was more beautiful than Earth, having heard this somewhere from someone she wrote letters with._

_"Yes! It's in what Grandfather calls the 'First Dimension.' Apparently there are many creatures there like you, Shadow!" the girl explains excitedly. "I don't know why the planets split to begin with, but Grandfather says in about fifty so years the planets will merge back together again."_

_"...but why are we going there now?" the hedgehog asks with a frown, not understanding. "You're not cured yet."_

_The girl shrugs and smiles. "We'll be going to an isolated place, at least until he figures out how to Chaos Control the ARK there. I don't know why we're going specifically, but I think it's to get us away from G.U.N.. We get to meet my cousin and his project, too!"_

_"His project?" Shadow's eyes light up curiously. Maria nods, smiling in excitement._

_"Mmhm! He won't tell me what it is, though. He said it's _very_ important."_

_Shadow thinks on this, looking back at his paper cat and frowning thoughtfully. Another important project?_

_"We got three months!" the girl cheers happily. "Three months and I can smell the grass and flowers, and see the sky and animals~!" She's singing happily in her soft, warm voice and Shadow smiles. She looks at him and her smile becomes more sincere. "G.U.N. won't be able to hurt you anymore."_

_That…would be very nice, but…_

_"I doubt I won't have trouble, still," he says honestly. "If what the Professor says is true, we can't trust anyone."_

_The girl nods, smile fading some. "Yes, that's true. We'll be careful, and we'll protect each other!"_

_Shadow sighs. "I'm supposed to protect _you_, Maria."_

_She smirks. "From physical danger, maybe, but _I_ have to protect _you_ mentally and emotionally so you don't become all boring and depressing."_

_Shadow rolls his eyes, but can't help but smile. "I'll be fine, Maria, as long as you stay safe."_

_"I know that, silly," she sighs. "Just please remember you're important, too. I won't be around forever, you know."_

_The thought makes Shadow's blood go cold. "D-Don't say that. If the Professor finishes his research you could be immortal, too."_

_She smiles, but it's a bittersweet one. "I hope so."_

_"It will happen, Maria," the biohog says sternly. "I'll do whatever I can to make sure it does."_

_She giggles, before crawling over and pulling him into a hug._

_"You're so very sweet, Shadow. I love you very much."_

_"I love you too, Maria," he murmurs, hugging her back tightly._

* * *

The memory played itself in his head over and over again. He didn't understand why, but it made him angry and frustrated.

Only three months and they would have been safe. Only three months and everything would have been fine. He tries to remember how long after the ARK massacre happened, and draws a blank. Too much thinking of it made his head hurt. He focused on the waves of the ocean as the small G.U.N. ship they were on moved as fast as it could.

"The girls made it," Knuckles calls, walking up to him. "Adabat...however…"

They take a moment of silence, knowing by what they had seen at Chun-nan that the place was most likely _very_ destroyed.

"The doctor planned this all out thoroughly," Shadow states dryly. "He knew we would need help from Adabat in Chun-nan and attacked both places at once. If he continues this, he'll have the entire world by the end of the week."

"Do you really think it's going to get that bad?" Knuckles asks, sounding unsure. Sounding _worried_.

"If we don't find Sonic it will," he says flatly.

"There's got to be a faster way," the guardian mumbles in frustration. "What do we do?"

Shadow looks back at the ocean, his thoughts drowning with it.

"I don't know."

The sound of beeping made them both jump, both on edge from their current problems. Knuckles looks at his communicator and frowns, answering it.

"Hello?"

_"Knuckles? It's Espio," _the chameleon's voice came through, but it was shaky and sounded off.

"Espio? What's wrong?" the echidna questions. The ninja takes in a deep breath.

_"I found something you need to see. Now."_

* * *

The man taps his fingers boredly on the arm of his chair, watching the meters on the screen shake unstably. It wouldn't be long now, he thinks. Sonic was a hair away from snapping. All it would take is one final push.

He grins.

Turning in his chair to face the robot standing behind him, he strokes his mustache and waves at him.

"Go."

The robot disappears with a flash of purple, and Eggman sits back in his chair comfortably.

It was time to awaken the demons.

* * *

They settled for the night, both shaky and tired and cold. Sonic woke up sometime while he was being carried but didn't say a word, and Tails didn't bring anything up because it obviously hadn't been the time. Now that they had a small cave, a fire, some blankets, food, and water, they were feeling a little better, if barely.

They sat next to each other, Sonic leaning into the fox's arms, which were wrapped tightly around him from the side, watching the fire tiredly.

They really needed to talk, Tails decides.

"Sonic," he starts softly, making the hedgehog flinch. "I'm not sorry for calling you out and upsetting you, but I am sorry I haven't done it sooner." The hero doesn't say a word, but he's tense. Tails continues, knowing he was treading on ice. "I wish you would talk to me. I want to know the cause of why you're so hurt, or why you think I hate you."

_"That's a good question, rodent!"_

Both brothers fly to their feet.

Purple portals open around them, large robots falling through and crushing the ground around them. One lands on their fire, causing hot embers and ashes to fly everywhere. Sonic and Tails backed up, the latter of the two grabbing his bag and pulling it on quickly. They would have to leave half of their stuff behind…

A robot falls through the portal that has a screen attached to its front, Eggman's delighted face on it.

_"Did you really think you could get away?" _the madman laughs at them. _"I was just toying with you two, waiting for Sonic to break!"_

Sonic swallows, not liking how Tails was pushing him back to stand in front of him, protecting him.

"You're not taking him again!" Tails yells angrily. Eggman laughs back, loudly and obnoxiously, sounding more and more deranged as he did. Both brothers tense fearfully. By the time the doctor settles down, their hearts are pounding and their hands are shaking. The doctor looks at them and grins, wide and menacing, his voice lowering intimidatingly.

_"I won't have to."_

…and then the robots fired.

Everything screeched to a halt. Time itself seemed to stop and rupture. Tails can't even process what's happening until there's a deafening boom, the robots start exploding, and suddenly he's swept off his feet.

He doesn't have time again to process anything before he's being dropped onto the ground.

He lays there, heart hammering loudly in his ears and his mind spinning violently.

He doesn't move for a few seconds, trying to get his senses back. He hears footsteps crunch in the snow in front of him and looks up, his eyes shrinking in shock.

Sonic's fur was jet black, dark energy swirling around him. His eyes were white, no irises there at all, and his shorten quills stood upright sharply.

What…was this form?

The hedgehog is staggering as he tries to walk forward, and then collapses with a low groan. He curls up into a ball, his body shuddering and shaking, his hands clawing at himself weakly.

"Sonic!" Tails screams, reality hitting him like a truck. He scrambles forward, shaking the navy hedgehog, panic taking over him. "Sonic, look at me!"

He rolls him over and is able to pull him into his arms, hugging him tightly. The hedgehog growls, low and feral, then whimpers as another shiver goes through him.

"It's okay, Sonic," Tails whispers gently, petting through his fur on top of his head and turning him to see his face. Those white eyes were terrifying, but he swallowed his fear and met them, getting the darkened hero to look at him. "It's okay," he whispers. "It's _okay_, Sonic."

The hedgehog gasps and his irises reveal themselves, a deep, dark blue.

_"T-Tails-" _Sonic sobs out, his fur fading into its normal cobalt color.

The fox pulls him closer, hugging him tightly.

"I've got you buddy. I've got you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. That's a big one.
> 
> Good news, we're bringing back a couple really old stories soon and some other things. Until then, we're gonna keep working on these three stories.
> 
> Don't forget to review! It's motivation for us~
> 
> See you next week on Dare the Truth!
> 
> -Anoni


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven -**

_Some time ago…_

_The human turned in his chair to greet the two entering his lab room. "You found him!" he exclaims with a tired smile._

_The other human smiles back, holding the hedgehog of their concerns in his arms. "He was out on the hills again."_

_"Sonic," the other human sighs exasperatedly, standing up and walking over to take him from the other human's arms. The little blue hedgehog eagerly goes with him, glaring at the other human. "What am I going to do with you?"_

_"We may have to install that tracking device after all, Dr. Kintobor," the other man suggests, smiling warmly at Sonic, who looked up at Kintobor with horror in his eyes. The red mustached man sighs._

_"We may have to. We can't keep having these incidences."_

_Sonic pulls on the man's lab coat eagerly, wanting to get his attention. Kintobor just stops him by grabbing his little hands with his own, turning towards the other human._

_"We need to start preparing for the transfer, so we're going to put Project Chaos on hold," he says, making the silver haired man's eyes widen._

_"On hold, Dr. Kintobor? I don't believe that's necessary. I can continue the Project on my own-"_

_"Professor Adam," Kintobor interrupts, voice sharper. "Sonic needs to finish his schooling before Professor Gerald gets here with Project Shadow and Maria. Shadow is already way ahead in his growth than Sonic, and we need them to be equally matched by the time they meet."_

_Adam frowns deeply, watching Kintobor turn away, still holding Sonic, who is listening intently. "My Doctor," the young male tries again. "I can make sure Sonic finishes his schooling myself, and run the rest of the operations. You can trust me on this."_

_Kintobor sits down, Sonic sitting comfortably on his lap. The hedgehog is glaring at Adam. Kintobor studies the kid's expressions as he addresses the professor._

_"I don't think Sonic can handle all of that right now. Besides, I want to work with him myself." He turns to Adam directly as he adds: "Something is upsetting him and I intend to find out what it is."_

_Sonic looks up quickly at Kintobor, then back at Adam with wide, fearful eyes. He then looks away, shaking in place._

_Adam's frown deepens. "Very well. I'll let the other scientists know to hold off for now."_

_He turns and leaves, shutting the door behind him. Kintobor sighs and looks at the shaking hedgehog in his lap._

_"Sonic, I know your voice is working fine," he says in a soft, chiding manner._

_The hedgehog flinches. "I'm not upset," he says quietly._

_"Where were you?" the doctor asks, lifting him up and setting him on the edge of the desk. Sonic criss-crosses his legs and puts his hands in his lap, looking down._

_"On the hills," he says._

_"Were you really?" Kintobor presses, leaning close to the child's face. Sonic shrinks back._

_"Y-Yes."_

_Kintobor lifts the hedgehog's chin up with one finger. "Are you saying that because Professor Adam said that?"_

_Sonic's eyes shrink. "N-No…"_

_"You know you're very bad at lying," the doctor sighs. Sonic looks away, ears folded forwards and his body trembling. Kintobor frowns, wrapping his arms around the boy and pulling him into a tight hug. "What is he doing to you?" he asks in a whisper._

_Sonic starts to panic, pushing on him and panting loudly. "N-Nothing! N-Nothing, O-Ovi!"_

_"I don't believe you," the doctor says, tilting his head. "You're about to hyperventilate."_

_Sonic shakes his head. "It's n-nothing!"_

_Kintobor pulls him into a hug again and drops the subject. His eyes narrow as he thinks, petting Sonic subconsciously as he did._

'Professor Adam Andrews...just what have you done?'

_Sonic curls up, biting his lip._

_It was the last day they spent together._

* * *

Nine Years Later, in the Great Forest…

No robots came to them throughout the night.

He found another cave, this one more concealed. He made a fire first thing and looked through their remaining supplies. They couldn't go back for what they lost. They just had to make do with what they had.

The second thing he did was lay Sonic out on their only blanket, then start pressing one of their two towels against his side where the stitches were torn. Thankfully the hero's leg hadn't taken much damage, but his side was really bleeding.

How was he still alive?

Tails swallows. Best not to have those thoughts.

He patches up his brother, more than thankful that their first aid kit was in the bag they managed to keep. After Sonic's wounds are dressed and he's as comfortable as he can be in a cold winter cave, Tails collapses.

He lays next to Sonic, a million thoughts going through his mind at a time.

What was that form? How did he do it? How did it happen? Did Eggman know? Was that his plan? Did Sonic know? Did Sonic keep this a secret?

He lays his namesakes over the hedgehog to keep him warm.

He would just have to wait.

He didn't sleep that night, his mind replaying the scene over and over again.

It was like…a dark Super Sonic.

Dark Sonic.

* * *

After meeting in Apotos, they all went to Espio's coordinates.

It was a base they recognized as one they took out, and as the four of them walked down the halls to where the chameleon was, they all shared a same, foreboding feeling with each other.

Espio was in a lab room of sorts by a computer, giving them all time to process the disturbing room with it's cages and surgical tools.

"What is that energy?" Knuckles ask after a minute. "It feels terrifying."

Espio opens the cabinet below the computer and points. They look inside at a large, black Chaos Drive connected to the computer's wires. Knuckles sees it and covers his mouth with one of his large hands.

"Holy fuck."

Shadow doesn't even want to go near it. The moment the black and red hedgehog entered the room he had froze up, looking around with sharp, narrowed eyes. He could feel it too.

"You need to see this," Espio says, his voice dry and tense. "This… Sonic and Eggman… They're more than what we thought they were."

Everyone looks at him in surprise. The room feels ten times more disturbing then it did moments before.

Shadow seems angry. "What did you find?"

"Files," Espio turns on the screen to show them. "Hundreds. I doubt this is all of them, but there's a lot. I've been going through them all. They're about Sonic and Eggman, before he was Eggman, or Dr. Robotnik."

"What?!" Amy exclaims, and Knuckles rushes to the computer.

"What do you mean?! Did they…? Did they know each other?"

"Yes," Shadow states suddenly, making them all look at him.

"You know?" Espio questions.

"You know," Knuckles states firmly, watching Shadow look away with a scowl.

"Yes, I know, but not everything. Sonic only told me as much as he knew, but it's all true."

"What is it?" Rouge asks then, turning to Espio, who stared at Shadow for a second longer before looking back at the computer.

"Listen closely. There's a lot we've got to go through."

* * *

When he wakes up, he feels heavy. Then he feels pain. Then he feels cold.

"Sonic," he hears Tails's voice call him, and the memories come crashing back.

He went Dark.

His eyes snap open and he tries to sit up quickly, only to cry out as pain rakes his side.

"Easy, Sonic," the fox says gently, putting a hand on his chest to hold him down. "Take it easy; we're safe. We're okay."

He went Dark in front of Tails. The fox no doubt had many, _many _questions for him, all questions he wasn't ready to answer. Questions he never wanted to answer.

"Sonic, _breathe_," he hears softly, a hand petting his head in between his blue ears. "It's okay. We can talk after you've recovered enough to."

_'He's going to interrogate me.'_

Sonic tries to settle down, but so many different ways this scenario could end started playing into his mind, all ending with Tails leaving him.

_'I'm a monster, there's no way he isn't going to turn on me.'_

"Sonic," he hears in Tails's soft voice. "It's _okay_."

If he didn't calm down he would go Dark again.

He breathes in and out shakily, trying to think of what he could say. Of what Tails was going to ask. He tries to think smart, the task distracting his mind enough to calm himself down.

Tails lets him rest, poking at the nearby fire with a stick.

He found another cave, this one small but well hidden by brush, sand covering the floor and keeping them warm. He doubted Eggman would find them again tonight or even try. The weather was getting too harsh, and Sonic had gotten them miles ahead of schedule in his...dark form.

Eggman…

Tails's eyes narrow.

He had a feeling this was it. That their final battle was approaching. Eggman has finally cracked, and the fox decides he is _not _going to let him get away with this. Sonic was too hurt.

He's always been hurting…

Tails swallows the lump in his throat. _That_ was also going to change. He wasn't going to let Sonic hide from him anymore. He should have spoken up sooner.

He looks over at the hedgehog, who had thrown an arm over his eyes, and breathes in deeply to chase away his thoughts.

He needed to get some answers before he started making a plan.

He pulls away from the fire and sits next to his brother, reaching under him to help slowly sit him up. Sonic's breath stutters as he's moved, his side exploding in pain.

He's never had an injury last this long. Never one this bad.

Tails sits him back against the cave wall, stuffing his bookbag behind the hero for some comfort. He grabs the water bottle he had set out next to him, and puts it in his brother's hands.

Sonic grunts at the liquid but drinks it anyway, even if only a tiny bit.

After putting the bottle aside, Tails turns to him, and Sonic looks away.

"No more hiding things from me," the fox says softly. "I'm not mad, I'm just worried about you."

Sonic flinches and plays with his torn gloves, still avoiding his look. Tails sighs.

"Talk, Sonic."

The hedgehog closes his eyes and takes in a deep breath.

"Okay."

* * *

"According to these files," Espio explains carefully. "Dr. Eggman's _real _name is Dr. Julien Ovi Kintobor. He came here to Mobius seventeen years ago from Earth. In Earth's time, it was the same time Shadow was on the ARK."

Everyone minus Shadow looks surprised by this. Rouge crosses her arms. "Why did he come here, and I thought their last name was Robotnik?"

The chameleon glances at Shadow again for a brief second. "I still don't understand the name change. As for why he came here," he looks back at the computer, "the answer is Sonic."

Everyone is tense. "How did they meet?" Knuckles asks quietly.

"They didn't just _meet_," Espio explains. "Sonic was just a nickname Dr. Kintobor gave him. He was actually known as 'Project Chaos.'"

No one knows what to say. Amy somehow is able to speak up. "So…you're saying that Sonic is…an Ultimate Lifeform like Shadow?"

"It isn't confirmed," Espio explains. "There is no detail in this computer about the project or what Sonic is."

"Sonic doesn't even know," Shadow says quietly. "He has amnesia because of an accident."

"What accident?" Knuckles asks, and Shadow shakes his head.

"It's all complicated," the biohog explains, "but it is the same accident that turned Kintobor into the monster he is now."

"You mean, he was never a bad guy?" Amy questions, asking the very thing they all wanted to know.

"No," Shadow says grimly. "He was like a father to Sonic."

* * *

"I…can somehow use Dark Chaos energy," Sonic explains shakily, "but I can't control it."

"Shouldn't that be impossible?" Tails frowns. "You shouldn't be able to use both, or they would cancel out."

"I don't know," Sonic shrugs helplessly. "I've never been able to control it. Every time I go Dark, I end up destroying everything around me."

"Can you see what you're doing?" the fox asks quietly. Sonic shakes his head.

"No. It just hurts. It's like...burning alive, and I'd do anything to stop it."

"...and it happens when you get upset, scared, or angry," the fox states, watching the hero bite his lip and look down.

"Y-Yeah."

Tails's brows furrow.

Things were now starting to make sense.

"That's Eggman's plan, isn't it?" the golden fox asks. The way Sonic's ears fold confirm it. "He wants you to go _'Dark' _so you'll destroy everything for him."

The hedgehog nods. "The robots are made of fake Chaos energy, like the emeralds. Eggman...said fake energy reverses normal energy, so my positive is all negative."

"That's why you can't heal," Tails realizes. "He's trying to force you to go Dark." Then he realizes something else… "How did he know?"

Sonic leans his head back against the wall, short quills not even getting in the way. "I went Dark during the Metarex battle, when Black Narcissus kidnapped Cosmo."

Her name brings back harsh memories. Tails tries not to think about it. "Because she was hurt?"

"Yeah. There were hundreds of fake emeralds right below us. When I saw that she was hurt, I went Dark."

The fox hums. "What stopped you?"

"E-Eggman," the hedgehog mumbles. "He...talked me out of it."

Tails frowns. "What then?"

"Shadow saved Cosmo…ironically. Rouge destroyed the fake emerald generator, and Eggman told me to go."

That…explains why Sonic had been so distant when he got back. He avoided everyone for hours, until Knuckles got worried and went to search for him. Then Cream seemed to realize Sonic was down, so she, Amy, and Cosmo baked him a bunch of sweets. He wasn't his normal self for a little while.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Sonic flinches again. "I...didn't want you to…" He can't seem to say it. "Dark Sonic," he tries again, "is _really _dangerous. I...If I go Dark, and can't control it, I might hurt someone."

He pieces it together himself.

Sonic trying to hide his emotions, breaking down because he was afraid Tails would leave him…

"You…" Tails sighs. "I feel really bad, Sonic."

The hedgehog finally looks at him, very visibly concerned. "Wh...What?"

"Just…" Tails starts, scooting to sit closer to him, pulling him to lay down so they're facing each other.

"Tell me everything about Dark Sonic, and Eggman's plan," he says quietly, watching Sonic shrink back, "and tell me everything he did to you when he took you away."

The hedgehog tenses, but he doesn't have any other choice.

* * *

"If what I remember is correct," Shadow explains carefully. "Gerald's plan was to move us to Mobius before the two planets combined into one. The day after I learned of this plan, the ARK was raided. Sonic and I believe the accident that caused Kintobor to become Robotnik happened at the same time as the ARK massacre."

"There aren't any more notes after his last letter was sent," Espio adds. "So that's highly probable, but doesn't that seem too…?"

"Coincidental?" Shadow finishes. "Yes, it does, but until Sonic recovers his memories, we won't know. I'm curious as to what exactly you found."

Espio looks back at the computer. "It's mostly data about Sonic, regarding almost nothing but his Chaos energy, but that's where things get even more interesting."

"Sonic can use Dark Chaos energy," Shadow says for him.

Knuckles whips his head to look at the hedgehog. "That's impossible!"

"It is, and yet Sonic has proven time and time again he exceeds possibilities," the ebony male replies coolly. "If he is indeed an Ultimate Lifeform, or another project we don't understand yet, then we shouldn't be surprised at what he's capable of."

"How would it be impossible?" Rouge asks, frowning thoughtfully. "What's significant about Light and Dark energy? It's never mattered until now."

"Every being that can use Chaos energy is called a Chaos Born," Shadow explains. "Some are born Dark, others are born Light. Each being has its own abilities and powers by what energy it is born with, but that being cannot use or be both."

"If they were, or did," Knuckles continues, "it would cancel out, and they would… I don't know…_die? _It's never been done before."

"That is the assumption, yes," Shadow explains. "Yet Sonic can prove otherwise."

"Have you seen him use it?" the echidna questions, not believing.

"You don't believe me?" Shadow snaps irritably.

"No, I can't," Knuckles huffs back. "I'm the Guardian of the Master Emerald. I'm the Guardian of _Chaos _itself. I would _know _if Sonic - someone I've known for _years _\- is capable of controlling both forms of energy."

_"_You idiot," Shadow growls, pinching the skin between his eyes. "I didn't say he could _control _it."

Knuckles throws his hands up. "Does it matter? How could I not sense it?"

"Maybe because he didn't _want_ _you_ _to_ _know_."

Knuckles stops, taken aback by the hedgehog's accusation. "...That doesn't make sense. Why would he…?

"I don't know, think about it," Shadow asks sarcastically. "You're so surprised you didn't know he could use Dark Chaos energy, but did you even know he's also severely depressed?"

Now Amy is surprised, looking at the ebony male with a frown. "What do you mean he's depressed?"

"Sonic is the happiest guy in the world," Knuckles states with a cautious voice.

Shadow gives him a dry smirk.

"...and yet you call yourself his friends."

* * *

He made Sonic tell him everything. He got most of it out through mumbles and nervous glances, but he at least knew what was _really_ going on.

"So Eggman used your Dark form as blackmail because you didn't want me to know, and he needed to get information out of you," he repeats back, watching Sonic look down guiltily. "Then he put those Dark Chaos Drives in your wounds and now your Light Chaos energy is being converted to Dark. If you go Dark, you have no control over the form and think you're a danger to me." Sonic looks back up at him and frowns. Tails frowns back. "Eggman's master plan is to have you go Dark and destroy the world yourself, even if it kills him, because he wins anyway."

"Y-Yeah, b-but-"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Tails asks again, this time much harder than before. Sonic's face shatters, his color changing eyes reflecting fear.

"I…"

He can't answer.

Tails already knows the answer.

"You really _are _afraid I'm going to hate you or leave you," the fox says softly.

Sonic's ears fall. For the first time since they've ever known each other, his mask fell.

"Y-Yeah. I am."

* * *

_Some time ago…_

_"Do they ask about me?"_

_Shadow gives the hero a confused look as he sits on the bed, scooting back to sit against the wall next to him._

_"Your friends?"_

_"Yeah."_

_The striped hog frowns. "The rabbit girl has."_

_"She's sweet," Sonic hums, wrapping his arms around his legs. "She's always been like that."_

_Shadow can tell he's upset by the fact his friends haven't asked about him. The biohog would leave Sonic's room to bring back food and necessities, sometimes running into the other crew members of the Blue Typhoon. They avoided him, not sure why he decided to stay with Sonic. No one dared to ask._

_"Have you seen Tails?"_

_Shadow sighs._

_"Yes. He came out of his room a little while ago. He's helping the doctor fix the ships."_

_Sonic chuckles. "He would love Kintobor."_

_Shadow's ears tilt at the name. It was much more familiar to him than Dr. Robotnik. He had been confused when Eggman introduced himself as such, but didn't question it. Amnesia had its way of messing with someone._

_"Where are you going to go once we get to Mobius?" Sonic asks then, looking at up him with a small smile. "It's merged with Earth now, so you might be confused with the geography."_

_'Geography' sounded amusing coming from Sonic's mouth. Shadow smirks as he thinks about what he was going to do._

_"I'm not sure. I know nothing about your world."_

_Sonic smiles. "I can show you myself."_

_Shadow meets his eyes, feeling..._happy_...for the first time in...well...forever._

_"I'd appreciate that," he answers. "I suppose I owe you my time, since you saved me."_

_Sonic blushes and looks away, ears folding. "I couldn't _not _save you. I already failed you once."_

_The ARK. The memories returned to him with the power of the Chaos Emeralds replayed in his head, and he sighs._

_"I made that decision myself. You're not to blame for it."_

_"I'm just happy you got your memory back, and that I could save you this time," the hero murmurs. "I just wish I could have saved her, too."_

_"You can't save everyone," Shadow tells him. "Your brother would understand if he truly cared."_

_"You didn't see the way he yelled at me," Sonic groans, falling to lay on his side. "He told me I was supposed to save her. How can I face him when I'm to blame for his first crush…" he stops short, a pain flashing in his dark green eyes._

_Shadow wonders if what he's feeling is empathy. "I can understand what you mean. I wasn't sure how to approach you when I so carelessly assumed the doctor would help me."_

_Sonic looks up at him, a little surprised by this confession. "I would have wanted you to come to me no matter what."_

_"Even in the past timeline?" the striped hedgehog questions. "If I hadn't died?"_

_The blue hero's expression shatters. "Of course, Shadow. I wasn't mad at you that you were confused without your memory. I was frustrated that you wouldn't listen to me."_

_"You would forgive me all the same?"_

_"There was nothing to forgive," Sonic states, firmly believing there was no reason to fault Shadow for his actions while amnesic. Knuckles always did gullible things like this, anyway._

_"Your fox friend may not agree."_

_"Oh," Sonic realizes, his face paling._

_He saved Shadow, but he yet again failed to save Cosmo. Because of Shadow attacking Cosmo before, the fact that Sonic had saved him and not Cosmo…_

_"Oh gods…" Sonic breathed, grabbing his head._

_"Sonic," Shadow starts carefully, taking the others hands away from his face, not letting go of them. "Your energy will become unstable."_

_This gets the hero to take in a deep breath, trying to settle himself down. "I don't want him to hate me," he can only say in a strained voice. "I can't… I don't want to be alone."_

_"Are you really convinced that everyone close to you will turn on you?" Shadow asks, watching the blue male crumble._

_"Yes."_

* * *

"What are you talking about?" Knuckles exclaims in irritation. "I've known Sonic for way longer than-!"

"Than I have?" Shadow scoffs with a smirk. "I think that just proves my point more. You never noticed it, but now you're doubting how well you knew him."

Rouge was watching Shadow carefully. They worked for G.U.N. together, and could even be considered friends, but she still hadn't cracked his case yet. Everyone knew he and Sonic were close. Ever since they had returned from the Metarex battle so long ago, the two hedgehogs remained inseparable. No one questioned the odd relationship, because they, for some reason they couldn't understand, were afraid to.

"How can you say something like that?!" Amy huffs angrily. "We're Sonic friends, and he would tell us if he was feeling like that!"

"Would he?" Shadow asks, raising a brow. "Has he ever?"

They all go silent.

"It's the very reason he didn't tell you what he did. He has enough reason to distrust the people who claimed to be his friends and yet were never there for him when he needed it."

"So you're saying Sonic doesn't trust us?" Knuckles asks quietly. "That's all fine and dandy, but isn't he the one who's been hiding the fact that the reason he won't let anyone take out Eggman, is because he use to know him?"

Shadow snapped, slamming the echidna into a wall behind him.

"You're fucking pathetic," Shadow sneers, the two scowling at each other fiercely.

"Hey, _enough,"_ Rouge speaks up strictly. Shadow doesn't let go of Knuckles, but they both go silent. The female bat sighs, putting her hands on her hips. "Shadow," she starts. "I get your friendship with Sonic is _special _and all, but Knuckles does have a point here. Sonic's been accused many times in the past of defending Eggman when the Resistance or even G.U.N. has had opportunities to take him out, and you can find those yourself in G.U.N.'s files. Of course, because Sonic is so young and his rivalry with Eggman is so deep, many assume it's because he's scared of killing him." She watches Shadow pull away from Knuckles to glare back at her, but continues anyway. "If G.U.N. or the Resistance finds this out, Sonic can be tried and prosecuted for interfering with the justice system, and can also be held responsible for everything Eggman does."

Shadow looks down, fists clenching.

"...but Knuckles," Rouge sighs, sounding tired now. "Maybe Shadow is right? Sonic is smart if he's kept himself alive for this long, and he's not a bad person."

"I know that, but-" the echidna tries.

Rouge holds up a hand to cut him off. "I know you love Sonic like a little brother, and you're jealous of the fact that he chose Shadow over you. You also have to think about how Sonic thinks, and what you really know about him, because as Shadow has said, he's the only one who knows anything about Sonic's past. They were even destined to meet no matter what."

Knuckles couldn't get any redder than he was, and he looks away, lips pulled down.

"We need to keep a level head," the girl continues. "We need to find Sonic and Tails, and we can question Sonic after. This information needs to stay between us, because if _any _of the wrong people find out, Sonic could be questioned as a hero, and everyone will turn against him."

They all nod, a heavy, threatening silence overcoming them.

* * *

Tails watched him sleep, not wanting to risk sleeping himself.

He knew there was more to Sonic's story, but for now he would take what he could get. Sonic's mask was finally breaking, so it would only be so much longer until he learned everything. Although, he wished Sonic would tell him because he trusted him, but…

The fox sighs, wrapping his arms around his brother.

The entire night, all he could think of, was Eggman laughing down at him from wherever he was hiding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My heart is pounding :')
> 
> I'm so excited some of you recognized the name Adam! You guys warm my heart~!
> 
> If you haven't seen, we updated Bonds of Chaos on Tuesday. We're trying to see if we can do two updates a week, one on Tuesday and one on Fridays. It's not for sure yet, but we're considering it.
> 
> Tails is about to get angsty, though.
> 
> -Anoni


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This entire story is going to be really emotional, so be warned now. There's gonna be talks about heavy things and Tails is determined to help Sonic in every way he can.
> 
> Also some Sonadow.
> 
> You're welcome~
> 
> -Anoni

**Chapter Twelve -**

_Some time ago…_

_He rubbed his pounding, heavy head with the palm of his hand, groaning under his breath as he walked. He moves slowly, heading through the automatic door and continuing down the hall. He's not paying attention really to where he's walking, not really caring. They've been in space for so long, and they've all grown tired and depressed, just wanting to get home._

'Cosmo would have loved Mobius,' _he thinks sadly._

_He spent most of their trip back mourning the death of his first love in his room, crying more than he had ever cried in his life. He had no idea pain like this existed, and he was the one that pulled the trigger in the first place._

_At first, he was angry. Why had he let Sonic and Eggman convince him it was okay, that they had no choice but to let her die? There had to have been a way to save her._

_Then he was sad, more than he had ever been, realising he was blaming everyone but himself._

_All he could do was lock the emotions away, because he didn't know how to deal with them yet._

'We need to get home…'

_He sighs and turns a corner, looking up just as he bumps into Sonic._

_They both startle, and Tails feels himself freeze up._

_Sonic looked _awful_._

_His normally bright fur looked dull and ruffled, and his emerald green eyes were hollow and dark. He was pale and looked as if he hadn't been sleeping or taking care of himself._

_He thought back to the way Sonic had reacted to seeing him after the battle. The fox had seen him land on the ship, saw Shadow running and tripping over his feet to get to him. He followed and the moment he and Sonic met eyes, the hero collapsed, fainting immediately. Shadow took him to the hero's room then, stating he would heal him himself._

_This was the first time he's seen Sonic since then._

_The hedgehog was staring back at him with a strange, almost anxious expression. Tails realises Sonic's never looked at him like this before._

_He looked scared._

_The silence between them was obvious, neither knowing how to react._

_...and then, like his name Shadow appeared, without a word ushering Sonic to continue on down the hall. Sonic follows him almost mindlessly, looking back at the fox as they passed._

_Tails watched the door close behind them, his hands clammy._

_He swallows the lump in his throat, not fully noticing that this was the first crack in the mask he was seeing._

_...or that Tails the sidekick hero had died along with Cosmo, and the fox that was standing there would become something far greater if only to protect his brother._

* * *

He should have noticed it then, but they all kind of bottled up the Metarex battle as if it never happened. It was too heavy a topic for each and every one of them, and it was easier to act dumbly about it.

Sonic had left with Shadow the moment they returned. They were only gone for three weeks before Eggman's new Metal Sonic went crazy and needed to be stopped. It took everyone to defeat him, and reunited them all for the first time since the Metarex battle. When they all spoke to each other, it was all smiles and everyone acting as if they were all okay.

It was only two weeks later that the Black Arms attacked the planet, and they all learned of Shadow's true past. Sonic had fought alongside him, defending him when G.U.N. came after him, even if it meant being labeled an enemy himself. When the Black Arms were finally defeated after two weeks time, Sonic and Shadow again disappeared for a short while.

It wasn't until Shadow, Rouge, and Omega joined G.U.N. that Sonic and Tails were forced to live together again. They renovated their house and cleaned up the outside, and by the time three months had passed since the Metatex battle, they were acting as if they were happy again.

It was easy to distract themselves with everything they had to go through. Eggman got crazier quickly over the next four months, throwing plan after plan at them. They were always fighting, always on the move. Whether it was stopping black holes from Babylonian tech, saving aliens from an evil amusement park, or putting the planet together and fighting Gaia itself...they were always moving. Of course it was easy for Sonic to hide his pain. They've been through so much in such a short time, never having time to relax or sit or even have a full conversation with each other.

Tails pinches the skin between his eyes.

_'I should have noticed.'_

Sonic was too selfless. The hedgehog would give him the world if Tails only asked, and he knew it, too. He should have known he would hide up his own misery so Tails could live happily with a smile at all times.

He looks over at his sleeping brother, sighing.

_'You've spoiled me rotten,'_ he thinks with a bittersweet smile.

The snow was harsh this morning, but they needed to keep going. He would fly Sonic as far as he could, and then find another place to rest. As he gets up to start packing, Sonic curls into a ball in his sleep and shivers, short quills unable to let him feel safe.

He wondered how they would ever feel safe while sleeping again, especially in a bed or in a house. He grabs their only bag of supplies and sighs, stomping out the rest of the fire. It would be harder on his brother, whose cut quills would take weeks to grow back to their natural length. Being seen like that would also be an issue. People would talk, word would get around, and Sonic didn't need that kind of attention.

People would either pity him or laugh at him. They would either feel sad for him or think he's weak. The moment they learned that Eggman was the one that did the deed himself…

He shakes the thoughts from his head. Sonic's coat had a hood. They needed to avoid everyone they could.

_'It'd be easier if Shadow and Knuckles were here.'_

It was up to him to protect Sonic on his own.

Once he's covered up their tracks and gotten ready, he carefully lifts his brother into his arms, noticing how light he was compared to earlier.

...it wasn't very normal at all. Sonic shouldn't be _this _light. It felt like he was carrying a chao at most.

The hero groans as he's lifted, blue lids attempting and failing to open.

"Go back to sleep, buddy," Tails says softly. "I've got you."

Sonic relaxes some and does as he's told, hiding his face in the white of Tails's chest.

The golden hero lets out a quiet, determined huff.

Time to move.

* * *

"So come out with it," Rouge asks him teasingly. They were standing back and watching Knuckles and Espio go through the information on the computer. Amy, standing on her left, frowns as Shadow raises a brow.

"What?" is his snappy reply, crabby and very much not in the mood. He could tell by the tone of her voice she was about to say something stupid.

_'I shouldn't have encouraged her.'_

She smirks as if she knows what he's thinking. "Are you and Sonic dating?"

Everyone in the room tenses. Amy stiffens uncomfortably, and Knuckles and Espio both pretend to not hear this. Shadow is _very _annoyed, but there's a pink color to his cheeks that can be faintly seen. "Is that supposed to be a serious question?" he asks in a harsh, blunt tone.

She puts her hands on her hips and smirks, raising a brow. "What's there to be defensive about, sunshine? I'm sure you'd be willing to take out any _misunderstandings_ about you and Sonic anyone may have."

"It's no one's business what I do," he glares at her. "I don't have to explain myself to anyone."

"R-Rouge," Amy starts with a nervous smile. "You know Sonic only likes to tease and doesn't like actual relationships…"

The girl shrugs. "It's easy to change someone's mind about relationships if the lay is good enough."

Espio coughs and everyone turns red. Knuckles rolls his eyes, and Amy quickly turns into a flustered mess. Shadow's ears are pinned back, and his face is at _least_ as red as his stripes.

"No," the ebony male states before Amy can go off. "We're not dating."

Rouge looks doubtful. "Any plans to ask him out then?"

He gives her an exasperated look, his mask falling long enough for his eyes to say _'what the actual fuck is wrong with you?'_

"R-Rouge," Amy huffs out. "We shouldn't really be talking about this right now. Sonic and Tails are still _missing-_"

"I wanna know!" Rouge cuts her off loudly, smiling with narrowed eyes at her inwardly seething coworker. "I've seen you two together and it's like watching two sociopaths falling in love with each other." She points directly at his nose to stop him from saying anything, continuing on. "_Topaz_ even said you two are so gay for each other people could write fanfiction about it."

Shadow rolls his eyes and shakes his head. Amy's eyes widen and Knuckles frowns in confusion. "What the hell does 'gay' mean?"

The bat smiles proudly as Espio answers. "It's a term the humans use to describe two males or two females falling in love with each other. Apparently most humans are offended by it for some reason."

Knuckles chuckles. "_Okay_ then. Humans definitely wouldn't like learning about Chaos Born."

"They don't," Shadow mutters.

"Don't change the subject!" Rouge exclaims.

The biohog scowls. "Why are you like this?"

She smirks. "Because it's annoying watching you two play ignorance. If you're gonna fuck-"

"Rouge!" Amy exclaims.

"-then just do it already," the bat finishes proudly.

"Start taking your own advice," Shadow hisses, "and mind your own business." Rouge's eyes widen.

"Didn't you get mad at us for fighting?" Knuckles asks, glaring at them. His own face is red now. "Knock it off already."

Rouge's cheeks are tinted now, and her gaze turns furious. "Why are you boys so _dumb _with your…" she stops herself, taking in a deep breath and closing her eyes. She then smiles, her anger gone. She meets Shadow's questioning red eyes and her own cyan ones twinkle mirthfully. "I'll just ask _Sonic _when we find him."

They all watched Shadow's face pale slightly, his brows furrowing together and his lips pulling down in a scowl. "What are you trying to achieve here?"

"Everyone wants to know," she shrugs. "I'm _just_ satisfying our curiosity."

"You're being presumptuous," he huffs. "I owe him for saving my life, and he is my friend. That's it."

Her smile in return is sweet. "Is it? What if Sonic doesn't think like that? What if he feels differently?"

"Enough," he mutters.

"You can_not _tell me-"

_"Rouge," _Knuckles interrupts. "Stop."

The way he says it makes her actually listen, and they all give him the same slightly surprised expressions.

He looks at Shadow and crosses his arms. "Like he said, what they do is their business. I'm sure if anything _were_ to happen, Sonic would tell us himself." Shadow can sense the threat as the guardian goes on. "You know, just in case he gets hurt somehow."

His implications stood out as a warning. Rouge hums, and Shadow clenches his teeth together.

"I'm still gonna ask," the bat shrugs.

Shadow only turns and walks out of the room, finished with this conversation.

* * *

_Sometime ago…_

_"So, we ended up meeting anyway," Sonic smiles shyly. "Even after everything that happened."_

_Shadow takes the time to process this, leaning back on his hands to look up at the sky._

_They were sitting side by side in the grassy meadow outside of Sonic and Tails's home, watching the sun rise for the day. It was a cool and refreshing morning, and they had just finished their run together. They were both a little tired from being up all night, eyes half lidded and glossy. Their faces were slightly red from the cold air and their high temperatures. Sonic, sitting in grass that looked dull compared to his emerald eyes, a sleepy, honest smile on his face, looked so…_

_They both realize they're staring at each other and both look away. Sonic clears his throat nervously and Shadow sighs._

_"So you don't remember anything other than what you've told me?" he asks, watching the blue hero falter and frown, and he feels kind of bad for asking and ruining the moment._

_"N-No…" Sonic mumbles. "I don't."_

_Shadow, feeling like an inconsiderate idiot, takes in a breath and reaches for Sonic's hand, taking and holding it, making the blue make look up in surprise. Shadow nearly struggles to keep himself stoic, distracted by the other's expression. "I'm grateful that despite everything, we were able to meet and mend our relationship."_

_Sonic's eyes are wide, and his face turns a shade darker. Shadow feels a little flushed himself because of how the words came out, and how heavy they were. He didn't deny them, though._

_Sonic looks away, lifting up the hand that's fingers were laced lightly with Shadow's, an embarrassed, sideways smirk on his lips. "Y-You shouldn't take someone's hand like this unless you plan to kiss them," he tries to joke._

_Shadow's not sure why he takes that as a challenge, or why he suddenly feels so confident, but as he smirks and leans forward, he doesn't hesitate in the slightest to capture Sonic's mouth with his own._

_Sonic's eyes widen and Shadow meets those shrunken green irises, smiling arrogantly through their kiss. His free hand that isn't laced with Sonic's moves up to reach through blue quills to the back of his head, pulling him closer and tilting his head to deepen the kiss._

_Sonic gives in, a soft, pleased sound leaving him, and their eyes close simultaneously. Shadow leans forward a little more, suddenly lost in the way Sonic tasted, how soft his lips were, how the hero reached for his white chest with a shaky hand, grabbing on and panting for breath. He takes advantage of that and slides his tongue through the others sharp fangs, pulling him flush against him as Sonic cries out into his mouth._

_His body feels warm in a way he's never felt before. The closest this sensation compared to was his Super form, but now he questioned if this new feeling was better or not. Sonic is having a hard time keeping up, too frazzled to react properly or think straight. He's melting in Shadow's arms and can only pant and make tiny noises that escape him, his hand pulling and struggling to get out of Shadow's hold._

_The ebony hog pushes him back into the grass, pinning that hand and arm above the hero's head, his other arm leaning on the ground to keep himself up. His knees fall in between Sonic's legs, and the blue male arches his back and whimpers out the others name, knees bending up and legs shaking._

_"Sh-Shadow…"_

_The striped hedgehog pulls back, taking in Sonic's blown pupils and red, hot face. His lips are wet and a little bruised, and Shadow has the urge to bite them._

_Then he realizes what he's done. Surprisingly, he stays confident, not sure where the confidence is coming from, but using it anyway._

_"Is that what you wanted?" he asks with a smirk._

_Sonic snaps out of shock, immediately pushing him off and turning away in panic. "Y-You can't just do t-things like that!"_

_The biohog chuckles, earning himself a green eyed glare. "Why not? You enjoy my humor."_

_Sonic couldn't get any darker. He rolls his eyes and looks away with quirked ears. "What kind of answer is that? That was my first kiss you know."_

_Shadow's hard edged expression softens some, but he's still smiling. "You enjoyed yourself, didn't you?"_

_Sonic gives him an irritated look. "I didn't think you were the type to make jokes like this."_

_"I'm not joking," Shadow says quietly, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss on the side of the hero's muzzle. "I don't make jokes."_

_Sonic stiffens, then meets his eyes. He stares blankly at him for a minute, and then shakes his head and laughs._

_"You're such a dork."_

_Sonic's laugh was like medicine to him. It was just…so pure._

_This was the reason this world needed to keep living. So this hedgehog in front of him would always laugh like that._

_"Maria would love you," he says without thinking, startling himself. Sonic's laugh turns into a cough, and he looks at him in surprise._

_"...really?"_

_He looks so… Shadow can't even describe it. The emotion was there however, and it was a strong one._

_"Yes," he responds quietly. "You two are both very alike."_

_Sonic frowns at him. "You said she was like a sister to you though."_

_'Because I kissed you?' he thinks with a weird expression. "I said you were alike, not that I see you as family."_

_Sonic flushes and looks away. "So what _do _you see me as?"_

_"That seems like a rude question," Shadow replies softly. "I haven't asked _you _that."_

_Sonic looks at him again, tilting his head. He's studying him so hard, trying to figure him out. His emerald eyes have an emotion to them that's heavy, one that makes Shadow's throat hurt._

_"Why are you…" Sonic starts, before flushing darkly and looking away. "Never…mind… I-It's… I'm tired."_

_He turns to push himself to his feet, and Shadow frowns, feeling heavy. "Sonic."_

_The hedgehog stills, sitting in a kneeling position and hesitantly meeting his eyes._

_The air is very tense now. One wrong move and Sonic would bolt._

…_and the unwelcome sound of Amy calling them from the house was enough. Sonic gets up and starts heading back, red faced. Shadow watches him go, meeting eyes with the pink hedgehog not far from him._

_She glared at him. He glared back._

_Sonic motioned for her to come inside the house, Tails poking his head out the front door asking for breakfast._

He thought about that memory a lot.

He didn't know why he held back after being so confident. He should have grabbed Sonic and pinned him to the ground, continuing their session right in front of the pink bitch.

He didn't think he'd make enemies with her. She was very sweet and kind, but shared the same love interest as him. After seeing how close Shadow was with _her _Sonic, Amy began studying what Sonic liked about Shadow and started making differences in her personality. Although she was much more mature now and was a strong, good fighter, her love for Sonic was stronger than ever. Now he had a rivalry, and she would go out of her way to ruin any time he had with Sonic.

For Rouge to start more issues was _not _what he needed. She cared too much, and if Sonic learned how bad his feud with Amy was, he'd get mad.

He sighs, his breath creating a white puff in the cold air in front of him.

They were out only Chaos knows where. Who knew what Eggman did to them.

It was hard to not kill the doctor for Sonic's sake, but he understood. He would feel the same way if it had been Maria.

_'I couldn't even stop Gerald…'_

He shudders.

Memories of his last few months before he was put away for fifty years sometimes haunted him. He had watched the Professor morph into a very similar monster like Eggman, watched him go insane for revenge.

Gerald stopped seeing him as a son and started seeing him as a weapon.

_It really hurt…_

He couldn't deny that.

He definitely had been scared. He aged faster than a normal mobian, and was fifteen by the time he was on his fifth year. Although adapting so quickly, he was a child in heart.

After Maria's death, he went into shock. Gerald went crazy, saying he could save her somehow. Shadow accepted everything that happened to him because _it was for Maria._

He lost most sense of emotion, and by the time he was sealed away, all he felt was anger, pain, and a thirst for revenge.

...and then he met Sonic.

Sonic was just like her, but there was his own little twist in his personality, one that kept Shadow intrigued. When the doctor's first order was to kill the blue hero, his interest was immediately piqued. After fighting him in the city, he was captivated. How could someone other than himself have such abilities? It was when they were fighting alongside each other in their Super forms did he realize who Sonic was.

He remembered Project Chaos being talked about on the ARK. They said it had just as much importance as Project Shadow, which confused him because nothing was more important than saving Maria.

How ironic fate could be…

He looks up at the sky as the snow falls slowly from the dark, heavy clouds.

_'You better not cease to surprise me, blue hedgehog.'_

* * *

He scowls as he looks over the map.

There was a town about four hours from them. If they could get closer, he could sneak in and get supplies. They only had enough food for two more days, and it would be five days until they reached Mobotropolis.

The trip was going to be a little longer than planned. They couldn't travel at night with the weather like this, and Sonic was barely able to move on his own.

They would make it to the next village by noon tomorrow. Tails would have to leave Sonic behind without him knowing and enter the town unseen, gather supplies, and get back without getting caught.

Sonic would be so angry if he found out, but it was a risk worth taking.

He folds up the map and puts it in his pocket, turning to the blue hedgehog murmuring in his sleep. He sits next to him and tries to listen, scratching behind his blue ears.

_"Adam…"_

Tails blinks.

A human? That was a very human name. Sonic muttered something else but it wasn't clear enough to understand.

The wind howls loudly outside their cave, and he sighs.

It wasn't even nighttime yet and here they were, waiting for the storm to pass.

It was cold.

Sonic whimpers in his sleep, and the fox lays down with him, pulling him into a tight hug.

"It's okay, buddy."

He wonders who Adam is.

* * *

Sonic freezes when he asks. The hedgehog, after sleeping for over a day, was awake and energetic, wanting to walk more than anything. Tails said he could, under the condition he tell him about Adam.

"I...don't know who that is," he answers hesitantly.

Tails pokes at the fire. "You said that name in your sleep. You didn't sound very happy about it."

The hedgehog flinches under his stare.

"I...don't remember him very well. I know I just…" he looks away, timid. "I didn't like him."

Tails hums, watching him shift uncomfortably.

"How did you meet Dr. Eggman?"

Sonic tenses up and a shiver goes through him. Tails watches that defensive mask go up immediately, having hit some nail on the head Sonic had been carefully trying to avoid.

"Sonic," he presses.

The hero swallows. "He...destroyed my home."

The fox frowns. "That's not the whole story," he calls him out. "Who were you before you were fighting him?"

Sonic can't look him in the eyes. "I...can't say right now."

Tails sighs slowly. "Sonic, you shouldn't keep anything else from me. I have a feeling I'll find out no matter what, anyway."

The hero grits his teeth. "It's _my_ life, Tails."

"-and you're _my _brother," the golden kitsune snaps, Sonic's eyes going wide. Tails throws his hands down in frustration, his guilt showing in his voice. "It's not okay that you're like this, Sonic. You shouldn't have to hide everything from me."

Sonic flinches. "They're _my _problems, Tails."

"Yeah, _your_ problems," the fox rolls his eyes. "_Your _problems become _our _problems, too!"

Then he freezes.

"Wait, that's," he starts, but the damage has been done.

Sonic looks stunned. He blinks, his eyes glossy, and he sucks in his breath and looks away quickly.

"Sonic, that's not what I meant," Tails starts shakily. "I'm not saying that you-"

"I _get_ it," Sonic snaps back. "I hear it all the time. I _know_. I bring my problems to everyone and everything is always my-"

He hiccups and turns his head, and Tails runs forward and kneels in front of him. "Sonic, _no. _Sonic that's not at all what I meant."

"-but it's _true_," Sonic's voice is a strained whisper. "Everyone always says trouble follows me. I'm the reason things go wrong. When the world was shattered, it was because of me," there's tears falling from his eyes, and Tails tries to rub them away, feeling himself cry. "Chip _died_ because of me. Eggman…" he hiccups again, face turning red. "H-He's going to destroy G.U.N. and the Resistance. Angel Island is probably gone already. Knuckles…" his breath catches in his throat. "I've given him another reason to hate me."

Tails knew Sonic was hurting.

He didn't think it was this much.

"Worst of all," the hero mumbles. "Eggman could have been stopped by now, but because of me he hasn't. I can't kill him and because of that, so many people have…" he looks away, rubbing his eyes. "I've messed up so many times… Shadow's died twice because of…" he freezes.

Tails blinks in confusion.

"Twice?"

Sonic swallows. "N-No, well, it's… I meant his memory. He lost it…"

He can't cover up his slip.

"Sonic, did something happen?" the fox questions, and Sonic shakes his head, panic now settling in.

"N-No I…" he puts a hand over his mouth and closes his eyes, trying to calm himself down.

Tails realizes then what's happening.

Sonic usually bottles up his emotions, never releasing them like this. If he does it now with his energy so unstable, he can go Dark.

…and because he doesn't want that, he has no choice but to face his emotions.

Tails watches him breathe for a few moments, giving him time to recover.

When he seems a little better, the fox speaks up again.

"Let's take one thing at a time," he says softly. "I want to know everything, but I know it's all very sensitive." Sonic looks down, ears falling against his head. Tails pulls him into a hug. "We'll start with one thing at a time."

"T-Tails," Sonic huffs, "I can't...talk about these things."

The fox pulls back and frowns at him. "It's selfish of you to think I'd turn on you by learning the truth. That's my decision to make, and if you're hiding something bad, that makes it worse."

Sonic pales and flinches. He looks mortified now.

"Ahh…" he huffs out. "I-I'm…"

Tails holds his face, and the hedgehog just breaks, sobbing into the fox's hands and shaking violently.

He kept trying to inhale, to stop, to catch himself.

"It's okay," Tails pulls him back into a hug, holding him close. "I know."

"I d-don't w-want…"

"I know, Sonic."

* * *

They couldn't stay in the cave much longer. He let Sonic walk as a reward for finally showing a bit of his true self to him. They were going to have to chip at this slowly. The hedgehog had a lot to go through here, and once they got through enough, it would all come tumbling out eventually.

Tails was determined now more than anything to help him. It was his fault Sonic was like this, and he owed him for it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonds of Chaos Update on Tuesday :)


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen -**

_Some time ago…_

"_Do you think you can fly with your tails?" the hedgehog asks him randomly one day._

_The two were busy moving around building materials, setting up the land they chose near Knothole for their home. The people were indebted to them, labeling them as heroes after Sonic stopped Eggman and saved the village. Now they were given everything they needed to build their own house, one they sat and drew out for a few days, and were now finally starting to actually construct it._

_Sonic was standing over a small table where their blueprints were, looking over them when he asked his question. The fox tilts his head curiously at this, a small frown on his muzzle._

"_Fly? With my tails?"_

_Sonic nods, resting his chin in his hands. "Yeah. Like a helicopter."_

_The kid looks back at his namesakes and thinks. Was it possible? He never thought of anything like this before. To be able to fly...with his tails...seemed too good to be true. "How would I do it?"_

_The hedgehog hums, looking around for something. When he finds a piece of twine, he holds the string up by the middle, showing the fox. "You can wind them up, and when they get too twisted, just unwind them back the other way," he explains, demonstrating with the string. "I've seen you use your tails as weapons. They're strong enough."_

_The fox blinks in surprise. Was it really possible?_

_He decides it can't hurt to try._

_He winds up his tails as tight as he can, and then he unfurls them as _fast _as he can._

_His feet lift off the ground._

"_Woah!" he exclaims, losing concentration and then falling flat on his face. Sonic runs over and helps him up, emerald eyes bright and a smile on his face._

"_Tails, you were hovering," the hedgehog laughs lightly._

_The fox kid's eyes grow big, and he pulls away from his brother to try it again._

_This time he was able to stay in the air for a few more seconds. He laughs as his body lands again, this time on his feet, and he looks at the newly dubbed hero in front of him and beams._

* * *

They both let out relieved sighs when they find the cave, half buried in the ground with its entrance hidden by thick shrubs. They had spent hours walking and searching for a place to sleep, and almost had to pass the nearby town on their map.

"We have no idea what it looks like there," Sonic says as he opens their single bag to look for any kind of food. "What if Eggman already owns it?"

Tails frowns as he sets up the fire, wondering if it was safe to even have it with such an enclosed space. "I think I should go to the town alone, Sonic."

The hero frowns deeply at him. "No way. What if you're grabbed?"

"I'll be careful," the fox sighs. "I know you're worried, but you're injured, and it wouldn't do you any good to walk more than you need to, especially if the town _is _controlled by Eggman."

The hedgehog looks expectantly annoyed. "Tails, it's stupid to split up. You want to leave me here to stay safe, but what if I'm attacked the moment you leave?" The fox frowns at this, looking down, and Sonic's voice softens. "If we go to the town, we go together. I'll be okay."

He was right, unfortunately. There was always a chance of Eggman showing up. Still…

The fox sighs. "Alright," he says tiredly. "We'll sit and warm up here for a little before we go."

Sonic raises a brow but doesn't comment, only crossing his arms over his knees as he pulls them to his chest, wincing when he strains his injuries.

_'He probably notices I'm acting different,' _Tails thinks to himself. Once the fire is steady and going, he sits beside his brother, the two leaning in to each other while the fox wraps his large tails around them.

It's only a few minutes later and Sonic is sleeping again.

The hedgehog falls into his arms as he pulls him in, holding him close for warmth.

* * *

Two pairs of shoes land after each other, the blue portal behind them closing abruptly.

They're both panting and heaving, their fur dishevelled and dirty with soot.

"Hah, well," the white hedgehog says, wiping his brow. "_That_ was a close one."

The blue hedgehog in black gear scowls as he checks the device in his hands; a tiny handheld screen with data flying across it. "What is this?"

The white hedgehog frowns. "Where are we?"

The other shakes his head. "I...don't know. This doesn't make any sense."

"Wait, what do you mean you _don't know?"_

The blue hedgehog glares at him. "Exactly what I said. This universe isn't in our database at all."

The others eyes widen. "That's…that's impossible!"

"Exactly," the blue hog huffs, reaching a hand up to the button on the side of his visor. "Lieutenant Zhadow, do you copy?"

_"Yeah, Zonic, where the hell are you? I've never seen that dimension before."_

Zonic turns to Silver, who pales considerably.

"You don't think...we're in the True Prime universe, do you?" the white hero asks.

Zonic swallows. "We might be. We need to find the True Prime Sonic immediately, before that monster gets to him first."

* * *

_He's floating._

_That's all he can really interpret at the moment. He wonders if he's flying, and which direction he was supposed to be going in. What was down below him? What was above? Maybe he was moving forwards, or maybe he needed to go backwards._

_ **"Heya, Blue."** _

_His eyes widen and he looks around, trying to see in the blackness._

_ **"Haha! You're cute when you're scared. Awww, don't make that face. I'm just teasing."** _

_He feels very, very cold on the outside, but on the outside he felt as if he were standing in fire._

_ **"Listen, cutie; you're gonna die if you don't take care of yourself. Let your little fox help you until you get home, okay? The fun has just begun and it would be…ah...mmm."** _

_The voice, light and warm but also kind of creepy and somehow familiar, pauses as if shivering._

_ **"I don't want to even think about you dying on me, Blue. If you did, I think I might go crazy."** _

_He opens his mouth to make a retort, but is cut off immediately._

_ **"Aht-Aht! Not a word from you, or I'll take your voice away again. You don't want that, do you?"** _

_His teeth snap shut and he clenches his fists._

_ **"Good boy...oh you're so good. I just wanna ę̶̡̢̙̝͇͈̟̘̠̈́̌a̶̛̘̙̠̘̠̥̖̣̝̩̥̒̊͆̈́͝͠t̶̢̢̨̡̛̞̦̱͉͉̦͍̪̤͇͐̎̓͑̏̈́͝ you hahah̵͖̣̺̘͚͗́́a̷̡̢̛͙͖̠̭͇͖̹̟͇̋̇͒͊͊̂͆̐̈̓͘̕͜ͅḣ̴͎̮͎͉̫͕̪͒͜͜ą̶̮͈̼̭͔̹̲̻̘̦͌̈̈́̍̀ḩ̵͍̥̯̖̒̌̽͛̔͑̿͘͝a̶̙̗̹̮͇̺͖̓́̾̑͑̊̄͑ͅą̵̧̢͙̳̘͔͈̫̬͇́̒̊̐̈́̓̿̊̍͂̀̑̔͆̚!"** _

…

….

_ **"Oh, I'm sorry! I told myself I wouldn't do that again. It's just…mmm…"** _

…

_ **"Ý̶̪̉͝o̸̱̙̿͑ù̷̼̲͇̉."** _

_He's shaking. He feels he's in danger. The temperatures are starting to get too extreme now._

_ **"Fuck, you're just so…pure. It's just so, so g̵͈͒̈́̈́̒̓͐̏̐̈́̅̈́̽͛̚̕͝ǒ̵̧̨̠͔̬̦̮̺͗̊̓̿̍́͊͠o̷̦̖̹͌̊́̆̄̌͗d̷̢͉͎̻̘͔̞̪̮͕̳͓̤͖̒̏̏̀̆̿͜ͅ. I wish I could stay here with you. I love watching you get hurt by...oh...a-ah...I shouldn't say that."** _

_His fur raises uneasily._

_ **"S-Sorry I have to leave you like this. I promise I'll be back to take care of you, soon. J-Just don't die, okay? If you die I-I'll…"** _

…

_ **"Just don't die."** _

_He wants to leave this place._

_ **"Gods, I just w̵̨̨̮̙̲͔͈͕̞̲̣̩͑̊́̐ͅa̵̲͙̾̂̍̽̂̿̽̈́͐͆̈́ň̵̛̛͍̟̜͚̟̻̇͛͂̅͗͌̒̓̓̑̎͘t̴̢͍͙̀̈ ̸̧̛̳̩̙̙̿̑̏̐̊̏̈́̊͋͒̕̕͠y̸̙̰̱̪̰̹̜̟̤̍̿̌̌̌̎̈͒͘̕͝͝ó̵̙͕̜̦͔̳͔̰̣̣̼́͌͗̽͗̓͛̈͂̉̚͝u̵͖̪̙̪̳̣̳̖̪̪̯͈̒̀̓͘ ̶̛̗̤̞͔̯̜͒̀̍̃̿́͋̀̽͝s̷̨͕͌͌̽͂̐͆̿͒͆̽̀̇̚o̸̩̠͚̮̰͂ ̵̡̨̨̢̛͍̼͍͙̭̱͖͇̱̞̓̍̾̅͝͝m̸̛̮͈̫͈̪͉̟̭̣̘̟̠̬͕̓͋́̈́̃̓͆̀͆͜ú̸͈̄̔̓̊̐̔̉̾̏̍̚͠͝c̵̮̈ḩ̸̧̣̻̟̈́͑̔̒̂."** _

_Suddenly the hot and cold feelings get too strong, and a choked cry breaks out of him._

_ **"Oh, crap I'm sorry! I'm ş̸̘͔͙̘͉͚̮̫̤̓̑̿́́̀̄̉̑́̊̈́͠ő̴̝̲̩͙̦̥̖͍̝̺͜r̸̛̖̥̊̀̒͗̂̆̾̑̂̇̐̋͠ŗ̸̳̲͓̘̂̔̊̒̎͋y̶̛͎̖̤͌̍̄̆̃̏͒̏̈͗̉, Blue. I told myself I wouldn't snap like that. Maybe it's better I do leave. I don't want to hurt you. I̴̢̊̐̀ ̶̥͈̺͋̄̾l̵̳̫̗͌̾̏o̵̲͆̔͝v̶̛͔͚͠ͅe̵͓̰̯͆ ̸̙̲͖͂͋y̸̠͇͐o̴̪̦͋̓u̴͖̙̱͊ ̵̪̣́́̆t̵͖͖͗̾o̴̯̜͔͝o̸̩͉̥̓̽́ ̷̦̩̿̑͜͝m̵̱͘̚ú̸͚͂͘c̶̥̖̄͐h̴͍͎̞̓͋̐ ̴̧̢̪̓̿͆t̵͔͚͑ǫ̸̮͌ ̴̰̺̚d̶̻̫̑͗ò̶̝͉̙͑ ̴̧͒͆s̵̜͍̹̈́o̶͔̐̅͂m̵̬̎e̴̬̤̞̎͛͂t̶̨̠͈̔͒h̶̙̚į̶̋͂n̸͂̎͜͝g̶̭͖͐̂̎ ̸͎̓͊̿l̷̘͑i̸̙̜̼̒̒̓ḱ̶̪͊̎ẹ̷̋̋̕ ̸̢͔̍́̕͜t̷̢͚̎h̶̫̮̟̿̐̊a̷̗̣̎̑̔t̸̹̙̠͆̑.̷̜͎̀̅͊"** _

_He's trembling from head to toe. His breath is rough and fast, ears flat against his skull. The cold feeling inside of him was ice, and his fur was on fire._

_ **"At least I got to see you being cute. I feel a little better. Oh, I'm being terrible again. You're just…so ả̵̡̼̖̣̥̥̒̈́̿̊͋̃́d̷̢̡̀̃͝o̷͓͛̌͆̊͘͝ͅr̸͈̬̜̥̮̹͉̓́͜ạ̵̧̜̲̈́̓͛̽̌̓̓̓̿b̶͍̦̲̈́̃̈͛̒̉͘l̴̖͚̲͎̺͙͑͂͆̔̒̚ę̸̼̗͚͔̋͋́͗̈́͊̕ͅ when you're this pitiful."** _

_He just wants to leave._

_ **"Okay, okay. I can see you're a little upset. Please don't be upset with me for long. I don't think I can ḩ̴͍̰͇͍̺͂͗̉̐̍̏̒̇́̀͗̂͘̕͠a̸̠͓͖̣̹̳̰̖̝̪̳̘̣̐̅̏ͅn̸̰͔̘͔͚̱̯̊̆̽̂̋̉̍̆͘ͅḑ̵̧̖͈͔̠̹͈͍́͌ľ̷̞̼̟̭̩̫͎͖̹̬͉̱̰͆̀͛͝ė̵̢̛̤̿̑͌̍͜-ahhh."** _

_ **...** _

…_..._

_..._

_ **"S-Sorry. Ỉ̴̧͓̮̆̔'̸͍͗m̸͔̎̾͘ ̴͙̔r̸̻̅̌ȩ̸͎̉̑̀a̸̘͋͆̈ľ̸̪̤̬́͑l̵̞͑ỵ̷̡͐ ̵̗͑t̸̛͓́̿-̷̧̄t̸̙̥͎́̆r̷̻̫̕̚y̸̖̠̓̋î̸͉̖͖n̷̼͒̈́͝g̵̝̯͘͜͝͝. I don't mean to lose control of myself like this. I've…never lost control like this… Maybe that…other faker did this…"** _

_The temperatures are nearly unbearable now._

_ **"Oh, I need to...ah...t-the boss is angry again. I'll let you go, just please be safe and careful a-and…"** _

…_._

_ **"O-Okay. Ḯ̸̱̯̰̙͓̪̠̟̻̖̋͌̈́̐̚ ̶̠͔̲̮͖̯̳̠̣̩̏͂̇̓̿͂̑͋l̸̜̰͕̼̹͔͉̃̽͆̍̎o̶̢̱̰͙̾͝v̴̩̑̅̑̀̿̍͂͗̉͠e̵̛̟̰̼͕͗̄̉̍͑̅͘ ̸̙̥̪̗̘̦̞̬̥̋͊̅̆̅ÿ̶̢̻͎̞̣̺͎̼͖̘́̕o̶̖̙͎̓̍͒́̈͆̍̍̚u̴͉̾͋̈́͂͝,̵̠̯̦̃͜ ̵̡̫̣͍̗͋S̷̠̜͍͆ō̷̞̜̪̹̯͍͓̍̈́̆͋͌͗̕͝n̸̛͔͈͚͉͚͆̋͗̄̽͜ͅi̵̧̩̖͕̟̟͙͂k̷̜̻̂̀͘k̴̺͍͎̹͝u̸̱̿̆̈́͛̽̍̕."** _

…

_He wants to scream._

_.._

_._

_ **"...I'll...let you wake up now."** _

* * *

He sits up with a loud cry, holding his chest and scrambling to stand up.

"Sonic!" Tails calls, grabbing his arms and trying to hold him steady. "Easy, Sonic!"

The hedgehog looks at him.

His irises…

They looked _crazy. _Blue and green mixed together with bright red creating purple streaks in them. His eyes were four different colors, all at the same time.

The hedgehog is shaky and whimpering, eyes shrunken and ears folded against his head. He tries to pull away from the fox, not seeming to know where he is or why he was there. It was as if he was scared of something.

"Sonic, hey," the fox says softly, reaching for him and pulling him into a tight hug. "It's okay, it's alright. I'm here…"

It takes a good ten minutes for the hero to settle down, his shivers slowly stopping and his breathing becoming softer and less ragged.

After Tails feels he's calm enough, he runs a hand over a blue head and lifts it up so he can look at those crazy colored irises again. The red was mostly gone, fading to purple and then to blue. Sonic blinks up at him, and the fox sees the moisture in his eyes.

"You okay?" he asks. The hero nods, wiping his face with shaky hands, his blue ears flicking to distract himself from any strange emotions threatening to show on his face.

The fox takes his hands and holds them, tilting his head at him. "Are you sure? Do you wanna talk about it?"

Sonic opens his mouth, but chokes on his words, snapping his teeth shut.

He only turns away, looking conflicted.

"Sonic?" Tails asks worriedly. He hasn't acted like this in a very long time.

The hedgehog pushes himself to his feet, holding on to the cave wall to help himself. His injured leg is shaking, but he holds the pain in, not letting it show.

The mask was back up.

Sonic looks away, voice quiet when he finally speaks.

"We should go before the sun goes down."

* * *

"Then we'll meet at Mobotropolis," the red echidna says, and they all share a nod.

They searched the entire base for hours looking for any more details, but nothing was left. They figured they couldn't be too lucky.

"I'll call you guys once we get to Shamar to check in," Amy says with a small smile to Knuckles and Shadow. Both males nod, and the latter turns to Rouge.

"I would tell the Commander we didn't find anything, but we need something to put the Chaos Drive in."

The bat nods with a smirk, giving him a small salute. "I'll get something. Where are we putting it for now?"

They all exchange looks, before looking at said drive in Espio's hands. It was too hot to the touch, so it sat in his black jacket he took off to carry it in. It's aura radiated off of it like black and blue smoke, and suddenly everyone is thinking about Sonic again.

Shadow looks at Knuckles next to him, and the guardian pales as they both notice something.

"That drive," the biohog starts uneasily.

"It's very possible," Knuckles scowls, crossing his arms. "I need to get it to Angel Island."

"We can do that," Shadow agrees. "Worse case scenario, I have somewhere we can hide it."

The two nod, and Rouge and Any exchange surprised looks. It seemed only a little bit ago the two were ready to rip each other apart.

"What's up with the drive?" the former of the two asks, making them both tense.

"I can't say yet," Knuckles answers. "I don't even want to think about it to be honest, so I'm not going to even assume it out loud."

That was an ominous answer.

"Do you want me to accompany you?" Espio asks. "Neither of you seem to want to hold it."

Both look at the drive uneasily.

"It could be corrupted like those robots," Knuckles explains. "I can carry it, I just don't like it. Shadow shouldn't go anywhere near it because corruption is extremely contagious."

"What does it do?" Amy asks, frowning between them.

"Corruption can manipulate a Chaos Born's very being," Shadow tells her with a scowl, "and turn them into a problem."

"A big problem," the guardian next to him sighs. He looks at Espio then, taking the drive from him and giving him back his jacket. He winces at the heat of it but it doesn't seem to bother him too much. "Keep looking for bases," he tells the chameleon. "Let me know if you find anything immediately."

Espio nods. "Very well. I'll make sure to-"

He's cut off by the base they stood outside of _exploding_.

* * *

Tails was good at making both his namesakes seem like one tail by keeping them together and fluffing them out. Their fur was dirty enough to blend them in a little, but there was still so much risk with it. Maybe Tails could blend in more, but Sonic's blue fur was unique to him only, so if anyone paid too much attention, they would be spotted.

Thankfully, his eyes were a different color (well, multiple colors), so it would confuse _some_ people. His shortened quills also allowed him to wear a hood, covering most of his face.

They would just have to be careful. They needed food and supplies after losing most of it when Sonic went Dark, or they would starve before even getting halfway.

There was one more town about a day away, and then…nothing. They would walk through the heart of The Great Forest, for a few days until they reached the mountains. Then it would take another couple days to get to Mobotropolis.

With Sonic's injuries and the harsh weather, they were already behind schedule. They needed to get what they could _now_.

Sonic winces when he puts his hood up, still not used to the lack of quills.

They share a nod, then leave the cave, heading towards the direction of the town.

Sonic was trying to hold his limp, and as the fox watched, he wondered if the leg injury would attract attention, too. It was a nasty wound, and even though the bandages were fresh, the few stitches that were torn turned them red.

They may have to cauterise the wound closed, he suddenly thinks. He swallows anxiously. He could do it, but…it was going to be hard. They needed to find some kind of pain medicine, and they would have to keep the wounds dry...

He would propose it after they looked through the town.

_'Then I'll have him sleep, and then…'_

His thoughts are cut off when the town comes into view.

"Figures," Sonic huffs bitterly.

Tails sighs.

Robots patrolled the streets, the buildings were metal, half of the mobians were roboticised, and the ones that were left looked miserable.

Eggman has owned this town for a while.

The two brothers look at each other, both frowning deeply.

* * *

_"Get down!" _Knuckles shouts over the explosions, the group turning to scatter. Robots made of black diamond block their paths, all glowing with black and purple energy.

**"TARGETS LOCATED. CAPTURE THE ULTIMATE LIFEFORM SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG."**

"They want Shadow?!" Rouge exclaims, looking at her friend. Her eyes widen as she sees him grab his head, shuddering.

Knuckles grabs the hedgehog's arm and pulls him back, the group moving to stand around him like a baracade.

"Don't let them touch him," Knuckles orders, fists raising. "We can't risk him being corrupted."

Shadow scowls, black ears flicking in annoyance. "I can take care of myself-"

The whistling sound of a missile headed their way cuts him off. Their eyes widen, and the biohog throws a shield over them and yells out Chaos Control.

They all land in heaps somewhere nearby just as the ground they had been standing on was completely obliterated. Shadow gasps at the sudden loss of energy, his vision going white.

The energy from the robots definitely didn't feel like this before. What was different? Why did he feel so…?

He feels himself being pulled up, and as the world turns with the movement, he suddenly remembers what nausea is, and vomits.

"Oh, boy," Rouge breathes.

Knuckles had barely moved out of the way in time. "His energy is being attacked," the guardian scowls, making sure Shadow was done throwing up before picking him up bridal style. "Eggman must have figured out how to get it to affect him; it wasn't doing this before."

"We need to get out of here!" Amy calls, holding up her hammer. "Which way are we going?!"

"I know a way," Espio says, waving for them to follow. They take off after him as robots start to teleport into the area, hellbent on their mission.

Shadow feels like his head is going to explode. He knows he's being carried but it feels like he's being dragged around. He could only see white and red around him, flickers of yellow mixing in. His body was _cold, _unbearably so. He felt so _heavy _and _tired_…

"Keep it together," he faintly hears Knuckles say in his ear. "You're supposed to be too strong to be corrupted like this."

The robots hadn't even touched him. Why was their energy so much stronger than before?

The guardian was right though, he needed to try and fight it. He can feel his inhibitors burning into his wrists, and knows he has to expel the corrupted energy.

He focuses on his breathing for now, drowning out the sounds all around him.

Knuckles notices him meditating and sighs in some relief. Rouge slows down to run beside him, giving them both worried looks. "You guys weren't kidding when you said it was a big problem. Is he going to be alright?"

"Not on his own," Knuckles says with a grim frown. "I can feel how strong this energy is, and it's infected him just from being near him. Without the Master Emerald I'll have to use all my energy to heal him."

A few missiles fly passed them and they flinch, running faster.

"Eggman wanted that base destroyed," Amy says over her shoulder. "We were actually one step ahead of him."

Knuckles and Rouge both nod. They _did_ have the information the doctor was after. They just needed to escape and cure Shadow. They were making progress, if barely.

"This way!" Espio stops, pointing them into a cave entrance. "There's a tunnel system. Take the far right one. I'll go a different way."

Knuckles gives him a worried look. "Let us know when you're safe."

The chameleon nods, ushering them to get moving. "I'll try to lead them off your tail."

* * *

Sonic crosses his arms close to his body, his foot tapping impatiently from around the corner.

They had managed to sneak into the town's shopping district, where the mobians were forced to pay large sums for small meals and dirty water. Anyone who complained would be electrocuted by the robots, dragged off to the robotization machine and thrown in with no hesitance.

This place was a nightmare.

A few Resistance members Sonic recognized from his travels were here, lying low as citizens of the enslaved town, most likely plotting a way to take it back from Eggman. One of them was an owner of a food stall, so Tails snuck over and started talking with her, and she was now trying to sneak food into a bag for him.

Sonic stood out of sight in between two buildings, keeping pressed against the metal walls of the left one, watching in anticipation in case something went wrong.

He feels anxious watching Tails stand out there, hiding behind some barrels while the Resistance girl had to take her time passing him stuff, trying to not be seen by the robots. He wished he could just take all the machines out, but…

He sighs through his teeth, ears folding back.

He doesn't hear the person behind him when he's suddenly grabbed.

He almost shouts, but a hand is thrown over his mouth and he's dragged back into a doorway, his eyes wide as he watches a robot teleport and appear right where he had been standing before. If he hadn't been moved…

He feels the grip around him loosen and he looks back, opening his mouth to question the person, but then he stops cold.

A dark silver hedgehog smirks down at him, orange eyes sharp. There's an energy that's coming off of him, and as he feels it, Sonic's heart stops in his chest.

_'This guy-!'_

The hedgehog presses him back into the wall, reaching for his chin and smiling softly at him.

"You should be more careful, _little darkness_," the hedgehog says, his voice deep and husky like satin, and Sonic's breath shudders.

He's entrapped by sunstone eyes and a strange sense of familiarity, and the voice he heard sent chills down his back.

The dark hedgehog chuckles, leaning forward, and presses a light kiss on his forehead.

_"Soon, little darkness. You will be mine again."_

...and then he's alone.

His legs give out and he gasps for breath, his head light and his ears ringing.

That…couldn't have been real…

A robot suddenly teleports next to the doorway. Sonic's eyes widen and he shrinks back into the door, pulling his legs close to his body.

_'Fuck, don't see me!'_

The robot is facing the other building, and then turns its body.

It faces him.

It's red eyes light up.

Sonic freezes.

Oh, he was so-

A large bag of flour slams into the robot's head, knocking it to the side. Suddenly Tails is there, lifting Sonic into his arms and flying them out of the town.

The robots miss them, turning to arrest the mobian that had thrown the flour - a golden rabbit girl Sonic's age.

"T-Tails-!" Sonic exclaims, seeing the robots grab her. "We can't just-!"

"I _know_," the fox cuts him off. "There's nothing we can do."

The hedgehog looks up at him with wide, worried eyes.

Tails grits his teeth and keeps flying.

* * *

"We need to lay him down," Knuckles states, the group stopping their run to catch their breath.

They had managed to run far enough away, finding a hidden area surrounded by thick trees on the cliff overlooking the ocean. The sounds of the robots were no longer in earshot, giving them time to rest.

"Here," Rouge points to a soft patch of grass, before helping the echidna lay Shadow down on his back.

The hedgehog was trying his best to keep his mind focused and in his control. His fur was flickering gold at the ends and his hands were trembling, sweat visible on his forehead, but his body cold.

Knuckles kneels beside him and puts a hand over his striped head, a green glow covering both of them.

"I'm going to do what I can," the guardian sighs. "I need silence, so just keep watch."

Rouge and Amy both nod, looking concerned for the black and red hedgehog. If the robots could do that to him just by being near him, then Shadow was in a lot of danger. Eggman already had Sonic and Tails, so if he took Shadow they'd be _screwed._

The girls leave to stand cover and Knuckles focuses on Shadow's energy, trying to filter out the corruption.

He almost doesn't notice the hedgehog taking off his rings.

"What are you doing?" the echidna asks quietly. Shadow's brows are furrowed in concentration.

"Don't waste your energy…I can...dispel this…"

His normally stoic voice is shaky. Knuckles looks doubtful. "What are you going to do?"

Shadow hands him the rings, his eyes finally opening and meeting his. "A Chaos Blast. I'll release the energy."

The red male frowns at this. "It would be less harmful to you for me to do it like this," he says, hesitantly helping the hedgehog sit up.

Shadow chuckles dryly, his voice hoarse as if he's holding in some kind of extreme pain. "Save your concern for Sonic."

The echidna meets his eyes, seeing that he was serious.

Sighing, he stands up to help him up.

"Just don't kill yourself," he mutters.

The antihero scoffs lightly, watching him back away. He smirks. "Don't underestimate me."

He waits for Knuckles to get back far enough. Rouge, from farther away, sees this, and her eyes widen.

"What is he doing?"

Knuckles looks back at her and shrugs tiredly.

Shadow then lets out a large Chaos Blast, red energy tearing everything apart around him.

* * *

He sets Sonic down and immediately lights the fire. The sun was down now, and it was getting extremely cold. The wind was picking up, howling outside their cave loudly, snow starting to come down in flurries.

The fox's breath is coming out in short, white puffs as he goes through their new supplies, finding a certain set of materials: a knife, bandages, some canned soup, and two small plastic containers.

He sets the soup can near the fire for now, turning to his brother. Sonic looked honestly a little bit traumatised, and the fox sighs and kneels in front of him, taking his hands.

"You okay, Sonic?"

The blue male looks up at him blankly, ears folding down. "There was…" he says quietly, looking down. "There was a hedgehog…"

Tails tilts his head. "Hedgehog? What are you talking about?"

Sonic's brows furrow, his mind seemingly frazzled. "Th-There was a hedgehog that saved me from a robot, w-while I was waiting for you."

The fox's eyes widen.

Someone saved Sonic?

"Who?" the fox questions. "What did they look like?"

The hero looks up at him, emerald and sapphire eyes wavering. "H-He was a dark grey hedgehog with orange eyes. He was wearing a black and orange suit."

Tails's eyes narrow. Sonic looks away again, ears folding back.

"He said something weird but, I don't know if I remember it."

He looks honest. He had probably been so terrified he didn't really hear what the mysterious hedgehog said.

Tails scowls. Who the hell was this guy? Why help Sonic and just disappear like that? Something felt awful about this, like a bad omen.

"Sonic, if you see him again, I want to know," the fox says sternly. Sonic looks at him in surprise. It was as if the younger brother had suddenly grown older than him. "We can't trust him."

The hero blinks at him with large eyes, ears low and mouth small.

_'Maybe that was too much of me…' _the fox thinks guiltily. He sighs and hugs the hero, pulling him close.

"I'm sorry, Sonic," he murmurs.

The hero swallows and grits his teeth, nodding. He couldn't respond.

The fox pulls away after a minute and sits back with a sigh. "Sonic, we need to cauterise your wounds."

Blue ears fall all the way back this time. The hedgehog gives him a pale look, fidgeting in place. "I-I can't heal though…at all."

"Your body _will_ _naturally_," Tails sighs. "You're just used to using your energy. We can stop the bleeding, but you'll just have to be careful."

He could tell Sonic didn't like the idea. He didn't either, but the tearing stitches would do more damage. At least if the wounds were burned closed they would stop bleeding, as long as they were taken care of. They were deep, so there was a chance this wouldn't work, but they had to try.

_'He's also losing so much blood.'_

The cold winter was helping slow the bleeding, but not by enough. He would die from blood loss before anything else.

Sonic looks down, playing with his gloves. "O-Okay…"

_'He convinced himself?'_ The fox nods. "Okay. Let's eat first."

He helps him sit closer to the fire and the two sit side by side to eat.

"It'll be alright," Tails tells him softly. "Once we get back, we'll heal up your energy and let you take a nice vacation. You'll be able to run again," he says, watching Sonic look up at him with shaky eyes. "I know you're afraid you won't."

Sonic only nods again, looking away.

They couldn't give up hope. They had to make it through this no matter what. Eggman's goal was to break Sonic, and it seemed the hero was already falling apart. The only thing was, the doctor underestimated Tails. He would make Eggman regret hurting his brother. Sonic may break, but he had Tails. He had Shadow, and Knuckles, and Amy, and the rest of their friends. It was time to fight for him the way he's always fought for the world.

After they finish eating, Tails unwraps the hero's injuries and cleans them as best he can. Sonic lays down and sighs, muttering about how much fun this was going to be before stuffing a piece of cloth in his mouth. Tails chuckles dryly as he holds the knife in the fire.

"Sorry we don't have any painkillers, buddy."

* * *

A hand falls on his shoulder and he looks back at the echidna with a small, tired frown. G.U.N. had sent two helicopters; one for the girls, and one for them. They were flying over the ocean, and it had reminded him of Sonic. It was about time that hedgehog learned how to swim.

"You overdid it," Knuckles tells him, sitting beside him. "I could have just healed you."

Shadow shrugs. He looks ready to pass out. "If we find Sonic and still don't have the Master Emerald, you won't be able to help him."

The echidna blinks in surprise. "I can regenerate-"

"Regeneration takes time," the ebony hog frowns. "We want to find them as soon as possible."

He didn't want to think it would take that long to find them.

The guardian sighs. "I get it, but if you really care about Sonic that much, you have to take care of yourself."

Shadow looks up at him with a mixed expression, black ears quirking.

"I know more than you think I do," Knuckles says with a small frown. "I'm fine with you bonding him, but you have to be _able_ to protect him."

The hedgehog's face darkens and he looks away. At first the echidna thinks he's going to say something snappy, but to his surprise, the Ultimate Lifeform nods.

"I will."

* * *

Sonic didn't pass out until after his wounds were rewrapped. Tails almost clonks out with him, but has to catch himself.

There was still two more things he needed to do.

One, he needed to get back to the town and use the key the Resistance girl gave him to break into the storage rooms outside the shopping district. Secondly, he had to rescue that rabbit girl who helped them escape.

He looks at Sonic and swallows nervously. Could he really do this? Not only was he putting Sonic at risk, but himself as well.

...they needed painkillers. Fresh clothes. Clean water. More food. More matches. _Weapons._

He remembers the way Sonic looked at him when they were escaping, looking back to see the girl get dragged away by robots.

They had to run away twice now. People were suffering and they, heroes, have had to leave them behind.

He takes in a deep breath and straightens himself.

He was going back to the town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please mind any mistakes, we didn't have time to do a complete look over. No beta we die like men for my AO3 people.
> 
> We noticed there aren't as many people reading this as Bonds of Chaos, and yet… Ah, nevermind :)
> 
> So…? Can Tails pull it off? This boy is determination.
> 
> BOC updates Tuesday. You really, *really* don't want to miss it :)
> 
> With love,
> 
> Anoni


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